Palette Area (Area)

Provide a palette area when the user may want to interact frequently with specific functional elements of the application. For example, provide a tool palette area when a user may need to use various tools while interacting with a graphical control.

Place palette area choices that are critical to the user's task in a highly visible location near the viewing area or elements associated with the task.

Provide a palette area to hold action choices when the user may issue one of a small number of commands.

Lay out the palette area as a control bar (for example, place it just below the window's menu bar) if it can apply to all viewing areas in the window.

If a palette area applies to only one viewing area in a window with multiple viewing areas, place the palette area adjacent to the associated viewing area.

If a palette area is placed adjacent to its associated viewing area, place it on only one side of the viewing area. Use two sides only when there is a large number of critical action choices that must be placed in a logical relationship to an associated fixed element in the view.

If a palette area is distributed over two sides of its associated viewing area, use only one side in each dimension.

If the user can customize a palette area or remove the action choices in a palette area, use a menu to provide access to the removable choices.

If the user can customize a palette area and has removed all controls in it, remove the palette area.

Allow the user to customize the palette area by allowing drag and drop.