When developing a new application, create the user interface first. Then the user interface will more likely be written for the user, not the programmer. There’s nothing worse than making an interface conform to code. Remember, you are writing your application for users, not for yourself.

Don’t put too many windows on the screen when your application is launched. If you do, the user may be confused and may not even know where the focus of your application lies. Also, don’t start up your application with windows overlapping one another.

Don’t violate users’ expectations. In part, this means that you should follow the Aqua user interface guidelines for menus, windows, panels, and so on. If you don’t have the time to read the interface guidelines (they are long, but are discussed throughout Chapter 1), try to make your application look and work like other Aqua applications, such as the Finder, Mail, and TextEdit.

Don’t confuse the grouping of functionality. Some applications are riddled with menus and dialogs that confuse functionality. For example, viewing and font options should not be in the same menu.

Balance your menus so that there are no more than 10 items per menu. Also, avoid creating short menus (i.e., one or two items) between the standard Edit and Window menus.

Don’t use too many different fonts and styles for your application. Keep the interface as simple as possible, and show your tricks in the About box.

Provide sufficient WYSIWYG before a choice is set so that the user knows what the result of an action will be. For example, in the General pane of the System Preferences application, the Appearance and Highlight colors are displayed in the pop-up menu before they are selected.