Content of Menus

Content of Menus

A menu consists of four elements, its context, its title, its choice descriptions, and its completion instructions.

Menu Context

A menu’s context provides information to keep the user oriented.

Feedback is necessary that tells users where they are in a process, what their past choices were, and possibly how much farther they still have to navigate

Verbal linkage, spatial linkage, or both may be used to provide navigation feedback.

Verbal linkage involves providing, on the current menu screen, a listing of choices made on previous menus that have led to this position. It also involves assuring the user that the displayed menu is the menu desired

Spatial linkage can be accomplished by graphic methods. Each succeeding menu screen can be displayed overlapping the previous menu screen so a succession of choices can be seen in a single view.

Menu Title

A menu’s title provides the context for the current set of choices. The title must reflect the choice selected on the previously displayed menu.

Choice Descriptions

Choice descriptions are the alternatives available to the user.

These descriptions can range from a mnemonic, numeric, or alphabetized listing of choices to single words or phrases to full sentences or more.

Completion Instructions

Completion instructions tell users how to indicate their choices

Explicit instructions may be needed for first time or casual users of a system. Experienced users will find overly verbose instructions unnecessary.

The needs of all system users, and the nature of the system, must again be considered in creating this kind of on-screen guidance.