Professional User Interfaces in LabVIEW

[Elijah_K]

The flexibility of front panel objects in LabVIEW is something many people, including myself, take for granted.  We quickly drop down charts, knobs, and sliders, leaving them unchanged, and as a result, most LabVIEW programs have an unmistakably similar look and feel.  Of course, this makes it much easier to spot in a lab or during cameo appearances on shows like MythBusters, but many people are looking for ways to make more impressive and even 'sexy' user interfaces.

The success of commercial products like the iPhone are clear examples of the growing desire for intuitive user interfaces, but the world of engineers and scientists is not exempt.  There are a lot of practical reasons why a clear and appealing UI is valuable for a large LabVIEW application, as it can reduce learning curves and improve the effeciency of the user.

What many LabVIEW developers don't realize, is the level of customization and flexibility that LabVIEW controls and indicators provide.  Realizing this, my friend and colleage, SimonH, set out to see just how easy it would be to make some impressive controls and indicators for LabVIEW that broke the mold.  He's posted his first few examples in his new UI Interest Group, but I happen to know he's got a lot more up his sleeve.  Join his group and look for more soon!

Here's another particularly slick user interface that was made in LabVIEW for OptiMedica