Specifications

IW.L-STD-1472E
e. Neither humor nor admonishment should be used in structuring messages; the dialog should
be strictly factual and informative for the user.
f. Error messages should appear as close as possible to the user entry that caused the message.
g. Lfa user nqxats an entry error, the second emor message should be revised
to include a
noticeable change so that the user maybe certain that the computer has processed the
attempted correction.
5.15.6.2 Standard display. Prompting messages shall be displaytxi in a standardized area of the
displays.
5.15.6.3 EXP
licit urom~ts. Prompts and help instructions for system controlled diaIogue shall
be explicit and the user shall not be required to memorize lengthy sequences or refer to secondary
written procedural references.
5.15.6.4 Prompt clarity.
Prompts shall be clear tid understandable. They shall not require
reference to coding schemes or conventions which may be unfamiliar to occasional users.
5.15.6.5 Definitions. A dictionary of abbreviations and codes shall be available on-line.
Definitions of allowable options and ranges of values should be displayable at the user’s request.
5.15.6.6 Consistent term.inoloW.
On-line documentation, off-line documentation, and help
instructions shall use consistent terminology.
5.15.6.7 User
confirmation. User acceptance of stored data or defaults shall be possible by a
single confmning keystroke.
5.15.7 Default.
5.15.7.1 Workload reduction. Default values shall be used to reduce
user workload, Currently
defined default values should be displayed automatically in their appropriatedata fieids with the
initiation
of a data entry transaction and the user shall indicate acceptance of the default.
5.15.7.2 User selection. The user should have the option of generating default values based on
operational experience if the systems designer cannot pdefm appropriate values.
5.15.7.3 Def
auk substitution. The user shall be able to replace any default value during a given
transaction without changing the default deftition.
5.15.7.4 Defaults for
auential entries. Where a series of default values have been &fined for
a dam entry squenee,
the experkmed war ahail be allowed to default all entries or to default until the
neti ?et@red Qm$y.
5.15.8 Emor management/data Protection.
ilstl. i Emx Qomi4Lu
a. WlwrCusess are required to make entries into a system, an easy
means shall be provided for correcting erroneous entries.
The system shall permit correction of
individual errors without requiring
t-e-entryof correctly entered commands or data elements.
~ 158.2 F~r]vdetmtion, A ctipahiiitv should be provided to facilitate detection and correction
of errors after keying m, but
kfore entering
into the sys~em. While errors shoutd be dctemed eariy,
error checking should occur at logical data ermy breaks, e.g., at he end of data fields rather than
character-by-cha.ractcr, in order to avoid disrupting the user.
.-’ - ,... .. . .
181
,,.. - .. .... ..
—..-”----- -----