RE: tech word for user interface

["Giordano, Connie" <Connie -dot- Giordano -at- FMR -dot- COM>]

Jane,

I have never heard of this terminology for user documentation, although
others might have.  If this is a web-based application, you might consider
using some sort of site map, with the appropriate terminology, to help users
navigate to these parts of the system. If not web-based, most users I've
dealt with more easily understand terms such as "module" to indicate
interfaces grouped by functionality. I agree, the current terminology
probably won't migrate to end users easily.

Good luck.

Connie Giordano

-----Original Message-----
From: Carnall, Jane [mailto:Jane -dot- Carnall -at- compaq -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 9:22 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: tech word for user interface


Hi all,

The SME's for a new product have come up with terminology to describe
various interfaces within the product, based on the positioning of the
interfaces in a diagram (similiar interfaces are grouped together in the
diagram).

The interfaces at the top are called "northbound", those at the bottom are
called "southbound", and to left and right "eastbound" and "westbound".

Is this a standard way of identifying interfaces? I haven't come across it
before, and it's not particularly common on the Internet: where it is used,
it appears to be mainly Java and CORBA technical documents, not user
documentation.

Should this terminology migrate to user documentation? I don't find it
particularly intuitive, and it makes it easy to identify the interfaces only
if you are looking at the diagram on which it is based. 

Jane Carnall
Technical Writer, Compaq, UK
Unless stated otherwise, these opinions are mine, and mine alone.