Visual Basic® Style Guide, The

Why Maintain User Interface Consistency?

It is all about the user. In most cases, you will never have to use the program that you are thrusting on others, except to diagnose and resolve application errors. Your users, on the other hand, will use your program regularly. They depend on you to provide a system that is consistent from the initial Start menu click to the final File Exit maneuver. Your users' needs will be vast. By providing a consistent user interface, you fulfill the expectations of the user in many areas, including the following.

Accomplishment of a Task

If the user did not need some task improved, simplified, or solved, you would not have been called in the first place. The user interface of an application must permit the user ...