FARMINGTON HILLS – The next meeting of the Michigan Usability Professionals’ Association on May 8th will feature Stan Driskell who will provide an update on Spider Controls, a new paradigm for the design of graphic user interfaces.
This universal graphic makes it easy to embed any type of control, including list boxes, spin buttons, radio buttons, and check boxes. Of the many innovations introduced by Spider Controls, the most consequential are:
* The ability to make menu and toolbar selections with less than
0.5 inch of total cursor travel.
* The ability to display any item from a list of up to 98 items with less than 0.3 inch of total cursor travel.
* The display of all options in easy to scan, vertical columns.
* The ability to frequently make two selections with a single cursor traverse.
* The ability to toggle a Spider display between single and multiple selection modes.
* A display that pops-up at a predictable location abutting but not obscuring the screen area of user interest.
* The availability of the unique “Navigation Center” to manage control manipulation.
A prototype version of Spider Controls imposed onto Microsoft Word has definitively shown that these features significantly increase user productivity. Spider Controls also promises to make extended periods of computer usage less painful and potentially less physically damaging. Although the simulation was unable to appraise user comfort, secretaries who participated in the focus groups overwhelmingly commented on reduced tension and strain.
If you are interested in attending, RSVP to email [email protected]
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