The authors (in 1996) imagine what an interface would look like that is inspired by the opposite of all the guiding principles for the Mac GUI.
Mac => Anti-Mac
* Metaphors => Reality
* Direct Manipulation => Delegation
* See and Point => Describe and Command
* Consistency => Diversity
* WYSIWYG => Represent Meaning
* User Control => Shared Control
* Feedback and Dialog => System Handles Details
* Forgiveness => Model User Actions
* Aesthetic Integrity => Graphic Variety
* Modelessness => Richer Cues
The authors then talk about the weaknesses of each of the principles guiding Mac interfaces.
1) Metaphors - impose artificial restraints and obscure the true capabilities of computers.
2) Direct Manipulation - repetitive work is better handled by batch processing and simple scripting.
3) See and Point - language is more expressive.
4) Consistency - different things should be represented differently, forced consistency is oversimplification.
5) WYSIWYG - the authors interpret this as meaning "your document, as it appears on the screen, accurately reflects what it will look like when it is printed," and argue that interactivity is better.
6) User Control - sometimes automation is better, and when there are multiple actors (as in networked systems, like the internet), control must be compromised.
7) Feedback and Dialog - interruptions should only be made when they are valuable to the user, and over time as he/she gains proficiency they will matter less and less.
8) Forgiveness - forgiveness means there should always be an "undo" button and warning signs, but this can become a nuisance when the warnings are gratuitous.
9)Perceived Stability - the real world is not stable because there are forces beyond our control, and that's what makes life interesting. (This principle is curiously missing from the table summary in the article).
10) Aesthetic Integrity - variety is more interesting and expressive than unity.
11) Modelessness - this is defined as not having "modes" which restrict the user's range of actions. The problem is that users can only cope with so much at once, modes help chunk things up.
-------------- Next: The Anti-Mac Interface --------------------
This was a pretty time-consuming summary, and I'm kinda wanting to get back to work. Want me to write a summary for the second part of the article? Use the upvote as a demand signal. If this gets 20 upvotes I'll summarize the second part.
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My (in-depth) summary:
The authors (in 1996) imagine what an interface would look like that is inspired by the opposite of all the guiding principles for the Mac GUI.
Mac => Anti-Mac
* Metaphors => Reality
* Direct Manipulation => Delegation
* See and Point => Describe and Command
* Consistency => Diversity
* WYSIWYG => Represent Meaning
* User Control => Shared Control
* Feedback and Dialog => System Handles Details
* Forgiveness => Model User Actions
* Aesthetic Integrity => Graphic Variety
* Modelessness => Richer Cues
The authors then talk about the weaknesses of each of the principles guiding Mac interfaces.
1) Metaphors - impose artificial restraints and obscure the true capabilities of computers.
2) Direct Manipulation - repetitive work is better handled by batch processing and simple scripting.
3) See and Point - language is more expressive.
4) Consistency - different things should be represented differently, forced consistency is oversimplification.
5) WYSIWYG - the authors interpret this as meaning "your document, as it appears on the screen, accurately reflects what it will look like when it is printed," and argue that interactivity is better.
6) User Control - sometimes automation is better, and when there are multiple actors (as in networked systems, like the internet), control must be compromised.
7) Feedback and Dialog - interruptions should only be made when they are valuable to the user, and over time as he/she gains proficiency they will matter less and less.
8) Forgiveness - forgiveness means there should always be an "undo" button and warning signs, but this can become a nuisance when the warnings are gratuitous.
9)Perceived Stability - the real world is not stable because there are forces beyond our control, and that's what makes life interesting. (This principle is curiously missing from the table summary in the article).
10) Aesthetic Integrity - variety is more interesting and expressive than unity.
11) Modelessness - this is defined as not having "modes" which restrict the user's range of actions. The problem is that users can only cope with so much at once, modes help chunk things up.
-------------- Next: The Anti-Mac Interface --------------------
This was a pretty time-consuming summary, and I'm kinda wanting to get back to work. Want me to write a summary for the second part of the article? Use the upvote as a demand signal. If this gets 20 upvotes I'll summarize the second part.