Using Controls in a Consistent Manner

You can add and display critiques using the critique Web pages of the library intranet application or the LitCrit Outlook form. It is easier for the user when critique functionality presents a consistent look and feel across the Outlook and Internet Explorer interfaces. To a certain degree, the choice of controls is dictated by the type of information being provided, and the following controls are selected as the ones best suited for critique data:

• Command buttons to execute actions, with consistent labeling of the command buttons on the LitCrit Outlook form and the CML Web pages.
• Drop-down list boxes to select the four ratings for a title. The first entry in each list is the instructive text, "<Select rating>".
• Frames to delineate functional areas on the Outlook form and the Web pages.
• Images to display the LitCrit logo (Outlook client only) and the graphic associated with a media type.
• Image lists to contain the graphic files that are displayed in the image control.
• Labels to describe the content of the associated controls. Care is taken to label controls consistently in the two interfaces.
• Option buttons to select a media type and display the associated media type graphic.
• Text boxes for entering title, authors, critique title, and critique text information.