RE: suggestions for naming a UI element

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

Leisa Ashbaugh wrote:
 
> I am working with a new UI that has a 'scoreboard' overview for a set
of
> data.   There are a number of constraints, and each constraint
receives
> a score. Each score has a corresponding "traffic light" (little
colored
> circle, ala red, green, yellow) that indicate the 'fitness' of the
> score.
<snip>
> 
> "The Scoreboard shows the schedule's constraint violations and
> penalties. 'Traffic
> 
> light' indicators help you quickly determine which violations and
> penalties fall
> 
> outside acceptable boundaries."

I like Robert's suggestion of "status indicators." But I have problems
with your sample sentences that changing "traffic light" to "status"
won't fix. 

The scoreboard doesn't just show constraint "violations and penalties,"
does it? I presume a green light is neither a violation nor a penalty.
And wouldn't _all_ violations and penalties "fall outside acceptable
boundaries"?

For that matter, the entire phrase seems inappropriate. A "penalty" is a
punishment. I doubt the "scoreboard" has anything to do with penalties
as most of us understand the term. I wouldn't characterize a schedule
exceeding some constraint level as being in "violation," either. 

I suggest using more neutral, less "crime drama" terminology to refer to
the three statuses, like safe, marginal, and high or excessive

IMHO, of course. :-)


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------





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