nilesinc@well.UUCP (Avi Rappoport) (09/29/89)
Report on the Interface Design Conference by Avi Rappoport Summary This conference proved that there are a lot of people in the Mac community interested in the interface. There were some helpful suggestions for developers trying to create a good interface for their applications. The consensus was that we can make no radical changes to the interface, but must make small changes to solve problems. No one knows where the legal limits of de-facto standardization by developers are, and no one seems willing to be the first to try. There have been no legal problems with Apple devising guidelines, so that is likely to continue to be the interface standard. There may be a move, headed by Michael Tchong, publisher of MacWeek, to commission a comprehensive study or set up an independent interface standards group, but it was not stated. There were very few concrete suggestions for what to do about changing the standard interface, so IUm going to make some: The research study was crippled by lack of data: it was annoying to hear recommendations based on 20 programs. The study should be extended, at least to the top 200 programs. Recommendations should be prototyped and tested by users and interface designers before being publicized. The easiest way to extend the study is to send survey forms to software publishers and have them fill them out. No one has yet volunteered to set this up and analyze the data. Apple should continue to explain itUs plans for the interface in detail, early in the planning process, so that developers and designers have a chance to respond and suggest improvements. In particular, System 7Us IAC in itUs various forms will be hard to design. Apple and the developers and user community should create a mechanism for proposing and processing changes in the interface. This could be done through Evangelism, Developer Services, APDA and the Macintosh User Groups (corporate and general). There should be more of a forum for discussion of interface design, maybe on the various news nets. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Background Michael Tchong, the publisher of MacWeek, organized the conference after seeing some need for extended interface standards. He included a questionnaire in an issue of MacWeek and found much support for more standardization. Apple has made few substantial changes in the Human Interface Guidelines, the Toolbox, or the System Interface since the introduction of the Mac in 1984. This conference addressed these general issues. Introduction Michael Tchong introduced the conference. Alan Soucy of Martin Marietta gave the view of a user and system administrator. Aaron Bauer, who did the research for the MacWeek-sponsored study, was featured on a video about incorporating graphic design concepts in the Mac interface. Panel Dave Winer (UserLand Software, Living Videotext) We can't reprogram users, we have to live with the interface we've got. We can improve it by "grooming, sharpening, backfilling and tweaking". The current interface was created by consensus in 1984, and itUs pretty good. The rules, applied with style, can create a program users enjoy using. Scott Wiener (Ann Arbor Software, Ashton-Tate) The user interface has to communicate what the software tool does. Some controversial ideas about how to extend the interface within applications: direct manipulation of objects, such as page numbers and margins within a document, rather than changing them on rulers and dialog boxes. Charlie Jackson (Silicon Beach) Interface guidelines have room for improvement. Software tends towards including everything, "Kitchen Sink" problem, partly because reviewer tend to look at feature lists [applause from the audience]. Fundamental change must come from Apple, developers can't do it alone. Developers should at least follow existing guidelines. Discussion of System 7, InterApplication Communication and user customization with Charlie Jackson and Dave Winer. May allow users to specify one standard program, and call others from it, so the first progam controls the interface. Daniel Chaifetz (Odesta) Standards are not religionQthereUs room for differences. Apple has caused many of the interface problems with HyperCard. Most users are not power users, donUt need all the nifty features. Question of consistent user interface across platforms. Some recommendations on user interface: donUt lie to the user, hide unimportent stuff, give them cues. Marc Canter (MacroMind) The Mac has always had multimedia capabilities and they are the wave of the future. Suggestions for developers: prototype, test the interface with users (videotape sessions), let beginners at the program (use your mother). Future: donUt be limited by hardware, write as though it exists; there will be new ways of doing input. Likes Long/Short Menus option, sees modular programs in the future, with a kernal and modules for various functions. Questions from the audience / Panel discussion Annette Wagner (Apple Human Interface Team Leader) Question of standards vs. extending the interface, living up to potential. Consensus seemed to be that the additional standards should be minimal, cover what weUve learned in five years. Marc Cantor pointed out that being different for the sake of difference is hard on the user, however. Will multimedia solve everything? ItUs neat, but it has to be done well. Scott Wiener says the interface on the Knowledge Navigator video is really confusing, inconsistent. Paradox of the modular add-ons: how to keep interface consistent Charlie Jackson answers that itUs not impossible, if developers keep it simple, check with users, prototype. We can extend the interface to cover this. Will the new interface cut off users of old machines? No agreement. Dave Winer suggests aiming at the leading edge. Modular software may help users of older machines: buy only a few modules. Charlie Jackson says that most of the current programs wonUt get all-new interfaces, only the new ones will. What about modes? Apple says no, but life is modal Scott Wiener: the Mac has always had some modes / views, wants to extend possibilities. Example of page margins in document, some disagreement from others. Charlie Jackson and Dave Winer say the Human Interface Guidelines give good help. Scott Wiener says that applications are art, and modules may clash. Why be limited to AppleUs guidelines? Why not go off and use other ideas? Installed base is big, canUt just change arbitrarily. Marc Cantor says that Apple does a lot of research, and suggests that developers steal a little bit from everyone else. Use the new capabilities in interface (like NeXT)? Charlie Jackson says the people at Apple are working on it, and bad color is really bad. Marc Cantor points out that there are 2 million black and white machines, and changing the interface will split the product line. The Space Station development team at NASA needs a Mac on the PS/2 Marc Cantor: the Mac interface really is the best Graphical User Interface, and Apple should license it to other companies, for users sake. AppleUs perspective Bruce Tognazzini, evangelist Developers should follow guidelines, but guidelines must change, or weUll all go down in flames. The interface is a shared constructed reality (examples from his videotape: Zen gardens, the public face of a large hotel complex vs. the heating and cooling systems, etc.). Suggestions for extending the interface: if you want to do a new thing (like go up one page in a document), create a new object, donUt change or force the scroll bar. Make the changes and new capabilities obvious, donUt hide them. There is no natural stability in software, but use discretion in changes. Modes are acceptable if they are for the benefit of the user, but not if itUs just for the programmer. Example: SuperPaint has different menu items when in Draw mode vs. Paint mode. Most people surveyed denied that it was true, because they never tried to ask for an item that wasnUt on the menu. HyperCard: complain to Apple HyperCard Product Manager about itUs interface. Tell Apple if you want new objects and behaviors in the System. AppleLink address: Macinterface (his is Tog). They are trying, but there is resistance. Some good stuff coming out of Apple: moveable modal dialogs just about to be released, and more coming down the pipeline. Legal Status of Interface Jack Russo (Nelson & Russo) Discussion of recent cases in interface litigation. Right now there is little case law, and Copyright Office rulings are confusing. Cases cited are all of very similar interfaces, rather than those with some elements in common. So there is no sure legal guidance on this issue. Summary of his written recommendations: 1) Include copyright notices on startup screen, diskettes, in the code, and on advertising. 2) Register the source and object code, and the visual displays with the Copyright Office. Make clear that the registration is intended to cover the entire work: code and displays. 3) Keep records of the development process including artistic design decisions. 4) Compile examples of competing programs which do the same thing but have different structure, sequence or organization in display. 5) RAvoid using, without permission, any original aspects from visual displays of other products unless such aspects are necessary to the purpose or function of the program or unless such aspects are otherwise in the public domain.S [emphasis mine] Research & Recommendations Gary Galle from Aaron Marcus + Associates reported on the analysis they did of menus, tool palettes, icons and dialog boxes. Unfortunately they only did 20 applications (out of 4000 Mac programs). Recommendations (based on 20 programs): menu bars: add RTypeS [for Font/Size/Style?] and RViewS to standard menus tool palettes: make layout and position more consistent. icons: standardize meanings, representation, position, spacial layout within icon area. dialogs: standardize sequence of movement (left to right, top to bottom), layout elements, and extend standard dialogs beyond existing toolbox dialogs, example: character attributes. Lack of RnationalS user group or yearly conference focussed on user perspective on Macintosh computers limits user input into interface standards. They suggest as a model the U.S. Department of Transportation, which commissioned an investigation of graphic design standards for transportation signs. It created public domain standards, which allowed manufacturers to adopt the standards legally. They propose creating a similar study for the Macintosh. Future Directions Panel Don Crabb (University of Chicago lecturer and pundit) Wants both major paradigm shift and RNew FolderS button in Save File Dialog. Suggests we somehow create a mechanism for building change, rather than letting it slide. Chris Espinosa (Apple technology consultant) There are 3 mechanisms for interface changes: User Interface Guidelines, market forces and System Software (examples and new toolbox procedures). System 7 will extend the interface in that the Finder will be written in Object Oriented Programming, and extend direct manipulation. Virtual memory will be implemented in a consistent Mac-like way. The Publication Manager will implement Inter-Application Communication (IAC). A good interface is: intuitive, consistent, configurable, integrated and forgiving. System 7 will extend use of the drag metaphor, will be able to drag documents to printer, click on printer to see the current print queue. It will extend cut-and-paste integration between applications. User interface problem: dynamic data updating. Hard to make it work intuitively. Elizabeth Waymire (Claris human interface manager) Look at other fields for good interface ideas. Things to consider when working on software: Problem of complexity (for the whole package, including the manual) Is it necessary? (creeping featurism). User testing will clear up your mistaken assumptions Iterative design: keep testing Is it accessible? Conceptual model still trickyQthe Desktop is no longer enough Build on familiarity Progressive disclosure: hide what people donUt need at first Visual exellence: use space effectively. Simplicity, balance and ayout. Greg Miller (Radius director of software design) Talked about a computer like Alan KayUs RDynabookS, handwriting input. Clement Mok (Clement Mok Designs) Interface chaos caused by HyperCard due to lack of education of scriptors. Badly designed products, and those with bad interfaces will die. Look at other fields of design: highway system, airports, subways. Graphic designers have a lot of experience. Help users: learning anything, like using a pencil, takes a lot of time. Conclusion People want good interface, developers are willing to do something about it. Michael Tchong asked people to contact him if they are interested.