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WindowsMobile5.0应用程序UI设计 |
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时间: 2006-09-27 来自：不详 |
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Foreword -- This techical whitepaper by a Microsoft Technical Account Manager discusses the considerations, guidelines, and standards that software designers and developers should take into account when designing software for Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PCs and Smartphones.
The author begins with a review of how the user interface (UI) of Windows CE-based devices has evolved since the first Pocket PC device was introduced in 1998. He points out the distinction between a "Pocket PC," which is intended to be used with two hands, and the "Smartphone," intended for single-handed use. This necessitates a different approach to UI design.
Following a summary of the new UI features in Windows Mobile 5.0, the article launches into the heart of the issue -- suggested design rules and guidelines. The proper use of soft keys, dialog boxes, and notification bubbles is covered in detail. Finally, screen orientation and the problems of multiple resolutions are covered.
Designing user interfaces for Windows Mobile 5.0-based applications
Recommendations and guidelines for software developers and UI designers
by Mauricio I. Perez, MCAD
Microsoft Corporation
Introduction
The user interface of Windows CE based devices has evolved over time. 1998 was the year when Microsoft introduced the first device with the form factor of the Pocket PC we all know: the Palm-Size PC. This first UI (user interface) was characterized by its abundant heavy borders. Text presented in the screens did not have hyperlinks, and in this first approach, designers tried to cram the desktop UI into the small screen of the device. In 1999, the second version of the Palm-Size PC introduced hyperlinks in its text.
Figure 1. The 1998 Palm-Size PC UI
After realizing that a device that would fit in a pocket was not the same as a desktop computer, the UI was redesigned. In 2000, the device now called Pocket PC added color, but the UI didn抰 suffer a relevant change yet. In 2001, the UI presented a background that could be customized by the user.
In 2002, the first version of Smartphone was introduced, with a new UI designed for a device that would be operated with a single hand, as opposed to the Pocket PC that is designed to be used with both hands.
The UI continued evolving in Windows Mobile 2003, and in Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, it introduced the square screen and the landscape mode.
Figure 2. The Windows Mobile 2005 Pocket PC UI
The UI of Windows Mobile based devices continue to evolve in a convergent fashion. The addition of keyboards to both the Pocket PC and the Smartphone provide similar and friendlier user experiences in two devices that were intended originally to be used in a different way, as we explained before, the Pocket PC with two hands, and the Smartphone with one hand. As we will see in the next section, the Pocket PC has now one of the features that were unique to the Smartphone: the Soft keys. This convergence of user experiences should not be ignored by designers. One of the goals of the software industry, especially software targeted to vertical markets, is to build applications with an extended life cycle. Designers must think in the future, and at this point, the rule of thumb to keep in mind by all designers and developers is to think of their designs with the two platforms in mind. In a word: design software for both the Pocket PC and the Smartphone.
The Pocket PC and Smartphone UIs
Before entering the discussion of the new features in the Windows Mobile 5.0 UI and the design guidelines and recommendations, let抯 review the characteristics of each of the two Windows Mobile devices.
 | The Pocket PC - Touch screen
- Larger display
- 2D layout
- Software Input Panel
- 96 and 192 DPI support
- Multiple connectivity configurations
- The device sleeps
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