Apple Human Interface Guidelines. Second Beta Draft

104 Pages·1986·4.386 MB·English

Human Interface Guidelines
Second Beta Draft
date: 22July 1986
writer: John Huber
AppleTechnicalPublications, Mailstop 22-K
Hereis yourcopy ofthe second betadraftofHuman.Inteiface Guidelines, which will be
lasersetanddistributed through APDA (AppleProgrammers and Developers Association).
This is really yourlastchance tomake substantial changes or suggestions. I know, I told
you that before-butthe bookhas been enlarged andreorganized since then. Afterthe final
draftis circulated, only the mostessentialchanges will be considered. Ifyou don'thave
time toreview the entiredocument, atleastlook at theparts dealingwith yourown area of
interestorexpertise.
Review Meeting
Areview meeting will be held in the Dallas ConferenceRoom, foUrth floor ofthe
Four-Phase Buildingfrom 3to 5pm on ~!18. Mark yourcalendar now, then either
bring this draft (with yourwritten comments~to the meeting-or sendit to me at
mailstop 22-K. \
AV.qtLSf
Thanks! J
,I
Apple Human Interface Guidelines
[second] betaDraft
Part No. 030-nnnn
22 July 1986
Writer: John Huber
AppleTechnical Publications
[Thetextonthis pagewas supplied by Apple'sLegal Departmentfor the reverse ofthe title
page.]
© Apple Computer, Inc. 1986
All rights reserved.
Notice: The Apple Human Interlace is proprietary to Apple Computerand is protected by
both literary and audio-visual copyrights and patents. Unauthorized use orcopying ofthe
interlaceis not permitted and is aviolationofApple'sintellectual propertyrights.
1
Apple Human Interface Guidelines
Table of Contents
ii Foreword
1 Chapter 1: Design Philosophy
1 TheRoots ofApple's Desktop Interface
2 The Spiritofthe Interface
2 WYSI\VYG
2 Human Control
2 Dialog
3 EaseofLearning
3 Consistency
4 Perceived Stability
4 See-and-Pointversus Remember-and-Type
5 Immediate Feedback
5 Forgiveness
6 A View ofthe User
6 Human Tasks
6 Active Users
7 Symbolic Representations
7 Recognition versus Recall
7 Learning
8 Metaphors from Non-ComputerWorlds
8 AModelfor Programming
8 Event Loops
9 Modelessness
10 Keeping the UserInformed
10 Visual Integrity
10 User Initiation
10 Reversible Actions
11 Plain Language
11 The Screen
11 Graphic Communication
11 Visual Consistency
12 Simplicity
12 Clarity
13 Some Graphic Rules ofThumb
14 Keeping the Promiseto DisabledPeople
14 Vision Disabilities
14 PhysicalDisabilities
14 HearingDisabilities
15 OtherDisabilities
15 Manuals
Human Inteiface Guidelines
16 Chapter 2: Human Interaction: Pointing, Selecting, and Editing
17 ThePointingDevice
18 WhatAbout the Cursor? (a Digression)
18 Mouse Actions
19 Double Clicking
20 Insertion Points and Pointers
21 The Keyboard
21 CharacterKeys
22 ModifierKeys
23 Typeaheadand Auto-Repeat
23 InternationalKeyboards
23 Arrow Keys
24 Appropriate Uses for Arrow Keys
24 Moving the Insertion Point
25 ModifierKeys With Arrow Keys
26 Making aSelectionWith Arrow Keys
27 Extending orShrinking a Selection
27 Undoing aSelection
27 Selecting
28 Types ofObjects
31 Selection in General
31 Selection by Clicking
31 Range Selection
31 Extending aSelection
31 Making aDiscontinuous Selection
33 Selection by DataType
33 Selections in Text
35 Selections in Graphics
35 Selections in Arrays and Tables
38 EditingText
38 Inserting Text
39 Backspacing
39 ReplacingText
39 Intelligent Cut and Paste
40 Editing Fields
42 Chapter 3: Screen Elements
42 The Desktop
43 Menus
45 TheMenu Bar
46 Choosing aMenu Command
46 Appearance ofMenu Commands
46 Grouping Commands in Menus
47 Special Visual Features
49 Reserved Apple Key Combinations
22 July 1986 ii
HumanInterface Guidelines
50 StandardMenus
51 TheApple Menu
( 52 TheFileMenu
53 New
53 Open
54 Close
55 Save
56 Save As
56 Revert to Saved
56 Page Setup
57 Print
57 Quit
57 TheEditMenu
58 The Clipboard
59 Undo
60 Cut
60 Copy
60 Paste
61 Clear
61 SelectAll
61 Show Clipboard
61 Font-Related Menus
61 FontMenu
62 FontSizeMenu
63 StyleMenu
63 Icons
64 Palettes
66 Windows
66 DocumentWindows
66 Opening and ClosingWindows
67 MultipleWindows
68 The ActiveWindow
69 Moving aWindow
69 Changing the Size ofaWindow
69 Window Zooming
72 Scroll Bars
73 Scrolling with the Scroll Arrows
73 Scrolling byWindowful
73 Scrolling by Dragging the Scroll Box
74 Automatic Scrolling
74 Splitting aWindow
76 Panels
77 Controls, Dialogs, and Alerts
77 Controls
78 Buttons
78 CheckBoxes and Radio Buttons
78 Dials
78 Dialogs
80 Alerts
iii 22 July 1986
HumanInterface Guidelines
83 Appendix A: Localization Guidelines
83 GeneralGuidelines
84 Macintosh Localization
84 Text
84 Line Spacing
84 FontSelection
84 Upper-and Lowercase
85 Menus
85 MenuBarHeight
85 MenuItems
85 Menu Titles
85 TheInternationalUtilities Package
85 The ScriptInterface SystemPackage
85 Dialogs and Alerts
85 Some Useful Routines
87 Appendix B: Bibliography
22 July 1986 iv
(
Foreword
This bookprovides guidelines for creatingpleasing, useful, consistent, easy-ta-learn
softwarefor any computerin theApple® proouctline, andprovidestherationale behind
theAppledesktop interface. Various Apple hardware systems canaccommooatethis
interfacein varying degrees. Becauseofthe abundance oftools in its ROM, the
Macintosh system is theone in which this interfaceismostfully implemented.
TM
There are two majoradvantages to using ROM-based tools andresources: compatibility
andefficiency. Themore aprogram bypasses orreplaces these tools orresources, the more
likely that soonerorlater itwill becomeincompatible with new products ornewfeatures.
Though you may know amoredirect wayofgetting the information, or afaster way of
doing the operation, it's best to use the system-provided features that will ensure hardware
independence. You should, for example, access thevariable that gives you the current size
ofthe screenrather than hard-coding screen constants into the program. You can also write
yourprogram so thatit can access, through devicedrivers, anyperipheral device that
happens tobeinstalledon the computerbeing used-even peripherals that aren'tyet
developed. And don't write new cooe ifyou don'thave to-findoutwhat wheels have
already been inventedfor yourcomputer, and use them!
A human interface is notmerely avisual display-infact, itis possible to have a human
interface with novisual display at all. A human interface is the sum ofall communication
between the computer systemand the user. Itis the part ofthe system that presents
information to the user and accepts information from the user. Itis the way in which the
user accesses the functionality ofthe computer.
Thehuman interface comprises features thatare generally applicable to avariety of
applications, butnot all ofthefeatures arefound in every application. In fact, some
features are hypothetical becausethey anticipate future needs, and may not be found in any
current applications.
You'll getthe mostfrom this bookifyou already have some experience with a
desktop-based Finderprogram and with some application programs that use windows,
pull-down menus, and amouse-preferably oneeach ofa wordprocessor, a spreadsheet
ordata base, and a graphics application. You should also befamiliar with the concepts of
pointing, clicking, and dragging with the mouse.
Although you can fmd examples ofmostofthe features described in this book by looking
atexisting applications, no oneprogramhas fully implemented these guidelines, and
perhapsnone everwill. Taken together, MacWrite, MacPaint, and MacDraw come close to
containing thefull setoffeatures as implemented on the Macintosh computer. While there
are somevery goodprograms that deviate in somedegreefrom these guidelines, emulate
~hem only with good reason. The interface, and therefore these guidelines, will continue to
evolve as Apple, and you, learn more about how people use computers.
You'll fmd detailed implementation specifications in the technical documentation for the
particularApple computerfor which you're developing software. You can also contact
Apple Developer Relations about becoming aregistered developer.
Human Interface Guidelines
Remember that there are programming environments (as opposedto application programs)
that use humaninterface techniques thatmay be inappropriateparadigmsfor application
programs.
The best time tofamiliarize yourselfwith the humaninterfaceis before beginning to design
an application. Good application design happens when a software developerhas absorbed
the spirit as well as the details ofthe human interface.
.
-4ii- CONFIDENTIJ - 'l? July 1986
VI