Delphi: a new design of User Interface in app

Question

I need your suggestions how to organize and make a nice, graphical user interface.

Now I have something like this:

There is a tree view (it takes a big space...) as a menu with assigned frames to each item. All frames have control buttons (a tool bar) and something from this list: list views, string grids, progress bars, memos, rich edits, web browser, color pickers, list boxes, labels, edits etc.

I don't have enough experience to create a good, easy and graphical UI, and I do not have any ideas what to make.

The most hard thing for me is I need to create a nice SDI, but the present UI is similar to a MDI (frames with lots controls are instead of windows).

So I'm trying to copy an UI from other soft: http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/150-best-windows-applications-of-year-2010-editors-pick/ + SCREEN SHOTS. But I cannot find something appropriate for me :(

Added:

I have an idea to use a glass effect (a "menu" instead of a tree view on the left), but it looks complicatedly: buttons on a glass and buttons below (a tool bar).

Another version:

Please, advice me what to do or give me a direction. Thanks!

Answer 1

Consider that most monitors are now 16/10 or 16/9, i.e. not in 4/3 aspect ratio any more.

Therefore, it's not a loss of space to put a tree on the left, or even the commands toolbar on the left side instead of the top of the window. Your first screenshot was not the worse, in this aspect. I just write a log viewer with this design: the log events has the full application height.

Office 2007/2010 ribbon for instance is nice looking, but takes too much vertical space IMHO on daily use. Some users (among me) are frustrated by this ribbon. For instance, I don't find it very usable in a notebook. Greatest user interfaces gives full space to content, not commands. Chrome is a good example of this. And mobile applications tend to maximize the available space use.

Just my 2 cents.

Answer 2

Personally speaking, about your first screen shot, the toolbar buttons are too big. They are much too strong a presence, even at second glance.

I would reduce their size. Or, when this program targets children or touching devices, the other controls and font sizes should be enlarged.