Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide > Guidelines and Techniques for Developing a Task UI > Guidelines for Developing a Task UI >

Guidelines for Designing Task Functionality

Use the following guidelines when you design the functionality of the task UI:

• Design for the user profile. Consider the experience and the job role of the user. Consider questions such as job turnover, and computer aptitude.
• Design for how frequently the user performs the task UI. How frequently the user performs the task can affect how the task UI is designed. A task that the user performs infrequently might require more guidance because the user is not provided an opportunity to internalize expertise.
• Enforce forward navigation. You can enforce forward navigation but allow for review and editing of work that the user performs in the task UI. Design your task UI so that the task guides the user forward through the task in a way that allows the user to edit and review portions of the task that the user has finished. Navigation that requires the user to click Previous is acceptable, but the user must not be required to repeatedly click Previous through a long list of views.
• Allow the user to enter record data across multiple views. Allowing the user to enter record data across multiple views can help to organize the fields that the user must use to create a complete record that is very complex.
• Allow the user to define a query. Use a separate view for each of the following:
  • Use one view for the query.
  • Use another view for the query results.
• Use the form view and list view correctly. Do the following:
  • If each record includes a large number of required fields, then loop through a form view.
  • If each record includes a small number of required fields, then use a list view.

    This technique helps to minimize horizontal and vertical scrolling of the list view.

• Use the same task view in multiple view steps in a task UI.
• Choose a display style for the step of the current task pane. Make sure Siebel CRM uses the correct style according to the complexity of the task UI. Depending on the complexity and length of a task UI, you can configure Siebel CRM to do one of the following:
  • Display all steps simultaneously.
  • Display only a subset of steps simultaneously.
• Avoid using a link in a task UI. Remain in the task UI. Avoid a script or run-time event that pauses the task and then leaves the task.
• Include a review page. A review page allows the user to review and modify data before Siebel CRM saves this data. You can place a review page at the end of a task UI. For a long task, you can place a review page at multiple locations throughout the task.
• Configure Siebel CRM to perform an operation that occurs outside of the Siebel database only if the user clicks Submit. The task controller does not roll back modifications that Siebel CRM makes outside of the Siebel database, such as with saving an attachment. It is recommended that you configure Siebel CRM to perform this type of operation only after the user clicks Submit. If the user steps back through the task UI or cancels the task, then you avoid having Siebel CRM create an orphan file.

Guidelines for Using a Script to Start a Task UI

If you use a script to start a task UI, then use the following guidelines:

• Make sure an active UI context exists before the user starts a task UI.
• Do not start a task UI from the middle of a run-time event, such as the WriteRecord event.
• Do not create a task UI from a script and then immediately pause the task to the inbox. The Workflow Task step can perform this logic, but you cannot use it through a script. If you define a task UI to start from a script, then Siebel CRM starts it immediately when the script runs and then displays the first view in the Siebel client.
• Make sure a business component record is available to the task UI. A script must only call a task when the business component includes at least one record.

Only limited support exists for starting a task UI from a script.