Group:
naming
Topic:
alias names
Topic:
keystroke shortcuts as a UserInterface
Topic:
command-line as a UserInterface
Topic:
ease of use
Topic:
icons for a user interface
Topic:
menus for a UserInterface
Topic:
pronoun reference
Topic:
using icons to represent objects in a user interface
Topic:
writing with a stylus
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Summary
Frequent users want a quick and easy language for communicating with the system. This conflicts with the infrequent user's need for self-documenting commands. Two solutions are automatically displaying document information or allowing abbreviated forms of fully specified commands. The most common abbreviating technique is typing enough initial letters to indicate a command. For instance 'P' can be used in place of 'Print'. This works well for interfaces with up to two dozen commands. Initial letters of multiple word commands allows a larger command space. In very large command spaces, the user may have explicit command addresses or user defined abbreviations for frequently used commands. (cbb 5/80)
Subtopic: user interface with short-cuts 
| Quote: a user interface should include short-cuts for knowledgeable users [»wassAI_1973]
| | Quote: put the required knowledge for operating a system in the world; provide shortcuts once the system is memorized [»normDA_1988]
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Subtopic: abbreviated names
| Quote: abbreviate by decomposing into syllables; keep first syllable intact while deleting vowels and consonants [»mcbrDK7_1985]
| | Quote: over 80% of subjects who abbreviated commands used truncation exclusively; few abbreviation errors [»benbI4_1984]
| | Quote: a Forth word is identified by length and first three characters
| | Quote: can use unambiguous abbreviations as short names; e.g., first letters of each word [»palmJ9_1979]
| | Quote: abbreviate a name only if it saves more than three characters [»kellD5_1990]
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Subtopic: expanding abbreviations
| QuoteRef: cbb_1973 ;;cobol (ICT Rapidwrite) lets programmers use short forms which are then expanded (fill in the blanks)
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Subtopic: problems with abbreviation
| Quote: programming languages should not favour abbreviation of writing by default conventions and implicit assumptions
|
Subtopic: mix descriptive names and abbreviations
Quote: can use long, informative argument names in header files and short, convenient names in definitions; e.g., 'length_of_element_array' and 'n'
[»stroB_1994]
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Related Topics
Group: naming (32 topics, 789 quotes)
Topic: alias names (39 items)
Topic: keystroke shortcuts as a UserInterface (22 items)
Topic: command-line as a UserInterface (25 items)
Topic: ease of use (47 items)
Topic: icons for a user interface (23 items)
Topic: menus for a UserInterface (31 items)
Topic: pronoun reference (23 items)
Topic: using icons to represent objects in a user interface (10 items)
Topic: writing with a stylus
(3 items)
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