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<snip>
> I'm beginning a new project and would welcome any suggestions for getting
> myself prepared. I'm going to be part of the development team for
> creating a Windows GUI for our software. (I work in telecommunications,
> documenting our hardware and the software that makes it run. . .
<end snip>
Run, don't walk, and get a copy of "The Windows Interface Guidelines for
Software Design" from Microsoft Press. (You might check for a new edition,
but ours is from 1995, and covers Windows 95 and NT. The ISBN is
1-55615-679-0.)
You (and your developers) might not agree with everything it says, but it
gives you a reference guide for most aspects of creating a user interface.
(And if you're creating a Windows GUI, you're users will be familiar with
the look and feel described in this book.)
We use it for reference when writing (to fill in gaps not addressed by the
Microsoft Manual of Style--another good resource, by the way), and to answer
questions from the developers. Though the developers might not put a lot of
weight in the opinions of the writers (usually they do, but not always), but
when you say "Microsoft says this . . . " they sit up and take notice.
HTH,
Lydia : )
-------------------
Lydia Wong
Technical Writer
FarPoint Technologies, Inc.
www.fpoint.com <http://www.fpoint.com>
