How should I design a GUI for a Javascript app?
This is a big question and the answer has more to do with user experience than technical implementation; what tasks do users want to do with your user interface and how will it present itself to them? List out all the things users will want to do in priority order from their point of view, not yours. Use pen and paper to sketch out the user interface for each of these use cases independently of each other. What information will the user need? What input will they need to make? How will the system respond in the expected outcome and in error cases? Are there common elements amongst them? Re-draw the screens with common elements merged and separate tasks available in menus, tabs or buttons. Show your design sketches to other people, ideally people who will use the system, to check and refine the interface and how it should behave. By testing with real users you can discover useful additions that you might not have thought of. Once you have final sketches for the interface, build it as a
This is a big question and the answer has more to do with user experience than technical implementation; what tasks do users want to do with your user interface and how will it present itself to them? List out all the things users will want to do in priority order from their point of view, not yours. Use pen and paper to sketch out the user interface for each of these use cases independently of each other. What information will the user need? What input will they need to make? How will the system respond in the expected outcome and in error cases? Are there common elements amongst them? Re-draw the screens with common elements merged and separate tasks available in menus, tabs or buttons. Show your design sketches to other people, ideally people who will use the system, to check and refine the interface and how it should behave. By testing with real users you can discover useful additions that you might not have thought of. You can also find and fix usability problems before you code.
