ISO 9241-14:1997

Overview

ISO 9241-14:1997 is part of the ISO 9241 series on ergonomics for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs). It provides conditional ergonomic recommendations for menu dialogues - the design of menus, how users navigate them, and how options are selected and presented. Recommendations use an “if - then” structure so designers can tailor guidance to the task, user, environment and technology. ISO 9241-14 is intended for interface designers, purchasers, evaluators, tool developers and end users concerned with usable menu-based interactions.

Key topics

• Scope and purpose
  • Conditional recommendations for menu dialogues used in typical office tasks across windowing, panels, buttons, fields, etc.
  • Emphasis on context: task, user experience level, environment and technology.
• Menu structure
  • Structuring into levels and menus (hierarchies, cascading panels).
  • Grouping and sequencing of options for clarity and efficient choice.
• Menu navigation
  • Navigational cues, orientation within menu structures, and rapid navigation techniques.
• Selection methods
  • Supported input modalities: alphanumeric keyboard, function keys, cursor keys, pointing devices, voice (conditional guidance for each).
  • Handling of multiple-selection, accelerators (shortcut keys) and menu access methods.
• Menu presentation
  • Option accessibility and discrimination, placement, and presentation syntax for textual, graphical and auditory options.
  • Special considerations for critical and destructive options (safeguards and prominence).
• Evaluation and application
  • Guidance for applying recommendations, evaluation of products, and sample assessment procedures (Annex A).
  • Informative annexes include examples (Annex B) and bibliography (Annex C).
• Language and customization notes
  • Some recommendations assume Latin-based left‑to‑right languages and may need adaptation for other scripts or right‑to‑left languages.
  • Customization is desirable but not a substitute for ergonomically sound default menus.

Applications

ISO 9241-14 is practical for:

• Designing menu dialogues for desktop and enterprise software, web applications, and embedded systems.
• Conducting heuristic evaluations and usability testing focused on menu usability.
• Specifying procurement requirements and acceptance criteria for interfaces.
• Developing UI toolkits and frameworks that enforce ergonomic defaults.

Benefits include improved menu clarity, reduced search and selection time, better error avoidance and enhanced overall usability.

Related standards

• ISO 9241-10: Dialogue principles
• ISO 9241-11: Usability guidance
• ISO 9241-12: Presentation of information
• ISO 9241-8: Requirements for displayed colours

Keywords: ISO 9241-14, menu dialogues, ergonomics, VDT, usability, menu navigation, selection methods, menu structure, user interface design.