Developing User Interfaces for Microsoft Windows
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- Tognazzini, Bruce. Tog on Interface. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1992.
Discusses the new ListView control, including the LVS_EX_ CHECKBOXES style.
Offers many good ideas on keeping things simple.
Chapter 23, "Toolbars," has a good discussion about tooltips, primarily with respect to providing help for toolbars. There is also a good discussion of tooltips vs. balloon help and why tooltips are better. He describes tooltips as "one of the cleverest and most effective user interface idioms I've ever seen."
The ultimate resource for icon design information.
Chapter 5, "Universal Design Principles," presents a good discussion of basic design principles that help achieve simplicity. Chapter 8, "Affordances, Realism, and Dimension," presents helpful information about visual affordance and the use of 3D. Chapter 13, "Interface Makeovers," presents a couple of case studies of interface makeovers, including a makeover of Microsoft Encarta.
See the discussion of menus, controls, and toolbars for useful guidelines for selecting and using controls.
Chapter 28, "More Short Subjects," discusses the problems with balloon help.