Folder: About User Interfaces

Types of Buttons Types of Icons Types of Windows

Toolbox

Definition
A panel or floating window that contains tools that can be selected (activated).
Convention: Menu Items Ending in an Ellipsis Open a Dialog Window

Reference
By convention, in a menu, such as one from the menubar or a context menu, menu items that open a dialog window end in an ellipsis (three dots: "...").
Main Pane

Definition
The large rectangular area in the middle of an application, between the upper group of bars (menubar, toolbar, ribbon), and lower group of bars (statusbar).
Hidden Interface that Appears on Hover

Definition
A graphical user interface that contains elements that are normally invisible, and that appear only after you move your mouse cursor of some element, for example by hovering their containing element.
Post Date Link

Definition
A post date link is a link to the URL of a post on blogs and social media that appears as the date of the post on a feed.
Full Resolution Thumbnail Without Full Resolution Image Link

Definition
On the web, it's possible to display an image on a webpage downscaled without making clicking on it display the image in its full resolution. This is an usability bug.
Search Box that Goes to Google

Definition
A search box on a website that just opens Google with the site: operator applied to the website's domain.
Pointer

Definition
The mouse pointer or a pointer to a memory address.
How The Clipboard Works

Explanation
Learn how copying and pasting works, how cutting and pasting works, or how text, images, files, and other data is transferred from one place to another in the computer via the clipboard.
Command Line

Definition
Line where a user can type text commands in an application that will be interpreted by some program.
Right Drag and Drop

Definition
A drag and drop interaction performed using the right mouse button.
Drag and Drop

Definition
A way to interact with virtual objects displayed on the screen of the computer by clicking on them and keeping the button pressed until you move them somewhere else.
Double Click

Definition
Pressing the left mouse button two times very quickly.
UI

Definition
Abbreviation for User Interface.
Attention

Definition
Attention refers to people's ability to focus on things in order to gain information. Without focus, it's not possible to absorb information even if it's available.
Masonry Layout

way to display elements on screen (or in a webpage) such that they're placed in parallel columns (or, in rare cases, in parallel rows).
Tab

The multiple meanings of the term "tab" in a computer.
Text Box

User interface element that (typically) looks like a rectangle and lets you write text to be used by an application or form when it has keyboard focus.
Text Cursor

A user interface element that displays where the text you type in your keyboard will be inserted in a text editor.
Keyboard Focus

The ability of an user interface element to interpret input coming from the keyboard.