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Graphic User Interface
General
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According to Fitt's Law, targets placed along the edges of the screen are inherintly "larger," because it's impossible to scroll beyond the edge of a screen. Therefore, targets should be placed along the edges of the screen (corners are even better, and directly under the mouse is best)...
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Compare just the buttons in the following dialogs from Mac OS X and Windows XP. Both screenshots were both taken from a standard Save dialog in each operating system. This illustrates the differences in approach that Apple and Microsoft take regarding dialog box design...
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Oftentimes, a computer's perceived speed is more important to the end user than its actual speed. A slow computer that responds to user input immediately will feel much faster than a fast computer that doesn't provide any sort of feedback until it's done with an operation. Thus, feedback and responsiveness - which are both determined by the computer's operating system - can affect the user experience greatly...
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Each operating system has a menu bar system for working with applications. An application's menu bar contains menus with commands specific to that application.
Mac OS X and Windows XP take different approaches to the menu bar concept. OS X has a single menu bar that changes based on the application you're working in, while XP attaches a menu bar to each open window of each application. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages...
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Both operating systems provide a dedicated location for adjusting system-wide settings and storing small icons to quickly perform a task. OS X has menu "extras," which sit next to the clock and Spotlight icon at the right of the menu bar, while XP has the system notification area (or "tray" for short), also located next to the clock...
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Appearance
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Both operating systems support customizing the user interface to some degree. While some users might consider this merely cosmetic, others will feel more comfortable (and therefore will be more productive) if they can tune the interface to their liking. As such, Mac OS X and Windows XP ship with "default" interfaces which are meant to appeal to the average user, but they still allow more advanced users some control over various aspects of the interface...
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Appearance & Themes, Advanced Incomplete!
There's more to appearance than simply setting a desktop picture or changing a few colors. For those who want to do more, each operating system offers advanced customization options...
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Finder vs. Explorer Customization
In addition to being able to customize the look of the interface to one's liking, it's also important to be able to customize how it works. The way one person likes to work on their computer might not be the same as another. Thus, both Mac OS X's Finder and Windows XP's Explorer let you change their look as well as their behavior to a certain degree, so you can work according to the way you feel most comfortable...
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Icons may seem like a trivial subject in the grand scheme of computing, but their quality can indeed have an effect on usability. Well-designed icons make their function clear and speed up a task; poorly designed ones can lead to confusion as the user tries to guess what an icon means. In terms of individual applications, icons are much like a logo or brand - they establish an image for their product. An application with a well-designed icon that adheres to the operating system's standard colors and look will "fit in" with the rest of the system and create a professional image...
Working with Information
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Both operating systems offer excellent (though not flawless) support for cut, copy, and paste as the preferred way to shuttle data from one location to another. Both offer several equivalent ways to execute these commands: Choose the command from the current application's Edit menu, choose the command from a contextual menu, type the keyboard shortcut for the command, and, in some cases, use drag and drop in combination with function keys...
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Both operating systems support drag & drop for users who would prefer to work solely with the mouse...
Window Management
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Mac OS X and Windows XP have two different strategies for working with open windows and applications. OS X is considered an application-centric operating system, while Windows XP is considered a document-centric operating system.
OS X has the Dock for working with windows and applications, while XP has the Taskbar...
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Need more details on the dock and taskbar? This page describes the unique features, benefits, and deficiencies of each...
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Mac OS X and Windows XP take different approaches to window sizes. OS X has a "zoom" button in every window, which toggles the window between a standard state and a user-defined state. XP has a "maximize" button in every window, which toggles between a user-defined state and a maximized state, in which the window fills the entire screen...
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Both operating systems let the user move and resize windows to aid multi-tasking. Mac OS X and Windows XP differ slightly in their implementations, however...
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Windows should never be permitted to move fully off-screen (or sufficiently off-screen such that no draggable portion of the window is visible).
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When you have many open windows on your screen at once, it's helpful to be able to make sense of them all so you don't waste time trying to find the window you want. Both operating systems have implemented ways to work with your open windows so wasted time is kept to a minimum...
Total weight of this section: 160 points
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