Interaction Styles: Dialogue Computer and User Distinct Styles of Interaction
Interaction Styles: Dialogue Computer and User Distinct Styles of Interaction
Interaction Styles: Dialogue Computer and User Distinct Styles of Interaction
minimal typing
Three dimensional interfaces
virtual reality
‘ordinary’ window systems
highlighting
visual affordance flat buttons …
indiscriminate use
just confusing!
click me!
3D workspaces
use for extra virtual space … or sculptured
light and occlusion give depth
distance effects
ELEMENTS OF THE WIMP
INTERFACE
windows, icons, menus, pointers
+++
buttons, toolbars,
palettes, dialog boxes
scrollbars
allow the user to move the contents of the window up and down or
from side to side
title bars
describe the name of the window
Icons
small picture or image
represents some object in the interface
often a window or action
windows can be closed down (iconised)
small representation fi many accessible windows
icons can be many and various
highly stylized
realistic representations.
Pointers
important component
WIMP style relies on pointing and selecting things
uses mouse, trackpad, joystick, trackball, cursor keys or
keyboard shortcuts
wide variety of graphical images
Menus
Fi l e Edi t Opt i o ns Fo nt
Ty p e wr i t e r
Sc re e n
Times
Keyboard accelerators
key combinations - same effect as menu item
two kinds
active when menu open – usually first letter
active when menu closed – usually Ctrl + letter
usually different !!!
Menus design issues
which kind to use
what to include in menus at all
words to use (action or description)
how to group items
choice of keyboard accelerators
Buttons
Individual and isolated regions within a display that
can be selected to invoke an action
Special kinds
radio buttons
– set of mutually exclusive choices
check boxes
– set of non-exclusive choices
Toolbars
long lines of icons …
… but what do they do?
often customizable:
choose which toolbars to see
choose what options are on it
Palettes and tear-off menus
Problem
menu not there when you want it
Solution
palettes – little windows of actions
shown/hidden via menu option
e.g. available shapes in drawing package
tear-off and pin-up menus
menu ‘tears off’ to become palette
Dialogue boxes
information windows that pop up to inform of an
important event or request information.