Accessibility and Ergonomic Guidelines
To create an accessible user interface, apply the following guidelines:
- Avoid using fixed font sizes and small font sizes.
- Enable accessibility options such as font size and idle time settings.
- Ensure that the user interface elements are clearly visible in low light.
- Ensure effective and easy-to-read color combinations.
- Group related objects on the screen.
- Ensure that the user interface is predictable. For example on a Windows Mobile-based Smartphone, pressing the HOME hardware button should always display the Home screen.
- For Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs, ensure that the tap region and size of the user interface element are ergonomic.
On Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs, the size of the user interface elements should be optimized for a touch screen. The following table lists the optimal sizes for user interface elements on a .24 dot pitch display, depending on whether a stylus or finger is used to interact with user interface elements.
| Method of interaction | User interface element size |
|---|---|
| Stylus | 5.04mm or 21 x 21 pixels |
| Finger | 9.12mm or 38 x 38 pixels |
Note A user might have difficulty accurately interacting with user interface elements, due to a disparity between the location of a target on the touch screen and the location of the underlying pixels when the display is viewed at an angle.
On Windows Mobile-based Smartphones, consider the following ergonomic guidelines when you design an application user interface:
- Use the same soft key for similar menus and commands.
- Use the same soft key for sequential commands.
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