Preference of Access Project Navigation.

[Lynxador]

the past few months i've been building quite an extensive Database for a family company.. and it seems my protyping and testing days are drawing to a finish as i am finding less and less things to fix/alter/redo and toy with to try to get the most out of it. The Database itself is running smoothly, but for lack of better words the layout Visually kind of sucks.

For my convience just to get through things quickly i used the default Switchboards as my main navigation system inside the database, but as i look at it i realize it looks nowhere near professional. I know i could build my own forms, and VB to make my own switchboards... but i was wondering other people's views here from their own personal experiences.

What worked and looked better for you when it came to designing the visual appearance of the database application?

Any input would be greatly appreciated, because i lack a bit in the Visual Creation department.

Thanks, Lynx

 

[Andrew Fergus]

Hi Lynx
Unfortnately a database is measured by the users on how it looks and feels. Very little thought is given by the users to the data structures, underlying queries, macros or code and any smart features or technological hurdles you had to overcome. So this means some effort has to go into the layout of the forms and reports - the only bits of the database the users interact with. I never rely on the wizards etc, I always design my own forms and reports from scratch. It's a bit of a drag I know, but I get the consistent look that I want plus I know they work (well most of the time!). I suggest you experiment with various form layouts and colour schemes and see what works for you - keep in mind that users screen resolutions will vary from 640x480 up to 1280x1024. you can get some pretty funky looking forms and a few smarts too - so it's worth having a go and see waht you can come up with. Also, a switchboard is nothing more than a form that is not linked to a query or table.
My 2c
Andrew