Documentation

Kitchen Sink documentation of style: 'Delos' of skin: 'ILIAS'

Launcher

Purpose: The Launcher starts an object, a process or a workflow. It conveys the smallest set of information needed to decide upon launching. The Launcher communicates clearly whether or not a user can or cannot launch at any given time.
Composition: For a clear guidance of the users' intent the Launcher can present a title and a descriptive text; it will always contain a Button for launching. If necessary, the component can be enriched with status information about the users' progress such as Icons or Progress Meter as well as optional inputs (e.g. access code field) if launching is restricted.
Effect: Clicking the Button starts the object, process or workflow. If the Component is configured with inputs, they will be provided to make the user fill them before the object can be launched. If the provided data is sufficient the user is redirected to the target. Otherwise, a message is being displayed. If the user cannot launch the object at all (precondition, unavailability etc.), the Button is disabled with unavailable action. The label of the Button may change, e.g. in relation to the status of the progress.

Item: Other than an item, the Launcher's focus is on an action rather than the representation of an entity.
Link: Link's primary function is navigation; operating a Link must not change the systems's status, while a launcher may well sign up a user to a LearningSequence, e.g.

Usage

If the user cannot launch the process, the Button MUST be disabled.
The Launcher SHOULD NOT be used to collect larger sets of information (e.g. a full user registration) - that would be a process in itself.
The launcher SHOULD support the users' intent to make a quick choice if it is the desired object/process/workflow to launch or not. Just relevant information SHOULD guide this decision.
There MUST be but one Launcher per process or activity stream. However, there MAY be multiple Launchers residing on a view or page if there are multiple processes or activity streams on that view or page.

Interaction

The Launcher MUST start the object/procress when the Button is clicked.
The Launcher MUST provide ample inputs if the object is configured with restricted access or the process needs further user decisions.

Accessibility

All interactions offered by a Launcher MUST be accessible by only using the keyboard.
All information required before launching the object MUST be placed before the Button launching the object/process, so users working with screen readers will not miss it.

Parents

Descendants