Interface building tools are crucial for designing components of a system, such as command languages, data-entry sequences, and widgets. These tools facilitate collaboration among user-interface architects, designers, managers, users, and software engineers. Paper-based designs, like screen-transition diagrams, provide an overview, but detailed specifications often require specialized software tools.
- Interface Mockup Tools:
- Purpose: Used for quick sketches during early design stages, fostering exploration of alternatives and effective communication within the design team or with clients.
- Examples: Paper and pencil, word processors, slide show presentation software (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote), and multimedia construction tools like Dreamweaver for prototypes.
- Software Engineering Tools:
- Purpose: While experienced programmers may use general-purpose languages like Java, C#, or C++, the trend is shifting towards specialized tools tailored for user-interface development and web access.
- Complexity: Choosing among these tools can be complex due to inconsistent terminology and diverse features.
- Windowing System Layer:
- Scenario: Some platforms lack high-level building tools, requiring software engineers to work at a low level. Editing graphics resources like icons or images is possible, but interaction is limited.
- Example: Interfaces for certain new platforms or mobile devices may need to be developed at the windowing system level.
- GUI Toolkit Layer:
- Role: Provides user interface program libraries (GUI toolkits) offering common widgets such as windows, scroll bars, menus, buttons, and dialog boxes.
- Programming: While familiar to experienced programmers, toolkits without interactive support can become complex. Learning environments like Microsoft Windows Forms or Apple Macintosh Toolkit may require months of proficiency.