updated on 2009-03-03
From the viewpoint of human interface, we generally desire to use tools easily. This means that we wish to operate with less difficulty, that we wish to learn operations with less difficulty, and that we wish to know the permitted operations and consequences with ease.
We propose the basic principles of interface, what are concerned with the required functions for comfortable input system. We call these principles “Principles of less operation”, “Principles of ease in learning operations” and “Principles of transparency of the system.”
1. Principles of less operations:
(a) Minimize the motion of position. The movement of hands, finger and mouse pointer should be minimized.
(b) Minimize the number of operations. The number of operations for a command should be minimized.
2. Principles of ease in learning operations:
(a) Make easy to remind the command names. Names of the command should be easy to remember. For the purpose, names should be associated with their functions and not be confusious with other commands.
(b) Keep consistency. All commands should be operated with consistent methods within the application and across many applications.
3. Principles of transparency of the system:
(a) Make easy to perceive. The status of the system and available operations should be understood easily.
(b) Make easy to estimate results. The result produced by an operation should be always predictable.
(c) O ffer perfect feedback. Perfect feedback should be always given for the operational results.