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Why did you name the company “Rainbow”? I’ve always liked the orderly progression from one color to another in a rainbow, it lends itself to marketing materials, and the use of color is important in my user interfaces. And let’s not forget the pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow! |
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Phone: 314.504.4234 Email: info@rainbowconsulting.com |
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© 2013 Rainbow Consulting, Inc. |
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The look & feel of the user interface (UI) is a critical part of a database. Here are some of the things I do: ¨ Screen layouts in the UI are similar throughout to make it easier to learn. For example, I put the controls to find data, add & delete data, and close in the same area on each screen so the user can easily find them. ¨ Use color to designate different screen sections, guide the user as he moves from one box to another, and highlight data on screens and reports. ¨ Follow the 3 clicks rule: wherever you are in the UI, you should be able to move to where you want to go in 3 clicks of the mouse or less. ¨ Data validation — it’s better to catch data entry errors as they happen than try to clean up bad data days or weeks later. Where appropriate, I use list boxes & drop-down lists, whose contents can be user-controlled, to make sure the data entered is clean. That also reduces typing & data entry time. Other methods for catching bad data include limiting what values are allowed to be typed, using calendars to click on dates, and checking that all required items are filled in before allowing the user to move on or exit. |
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Rainbow Consulting, Inc. The Database Specialist |
