GUIs and visual hierarchy

The graphical language and common visual layouts of software have evolved a lot over the recent history of consumer software products and continues to evolve. Each operating system and graphical toolkit focuses on usability while attempting to have a unique look. These principles have driven each platform in slightly different directions, which impacts the software we write and the content we present.

Multiple documents

Let's first look at the ways that applications can handle multiple concurrent documents. These interfaces all aim to present a way to work with many documents at the same time. Whether it's a word processor, an image editor, or a web browser, there are many ways to approach...