Direct%20Manipulation

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Direct Manipulation

• Don't be so humble - you are not that great."
• - Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diploma

• Don't be so humble - you are not that great."
• - Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diploma

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Deleting a file 1Early Mac Interface
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Deleting a file 2
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Action Cycle
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Direct Mappings of Interaction Levels
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Gulf of Execution

• The difference between the steps one actually
  needs to take to achieve a goal and the steps
  that one perceives.
• Devices (interfaces) which present to the user
  obtuse clues about use and thus the perception of
  use the user identifies is said to wide the
  disconnect between user goals and the ability to
  achieve that goal.

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Gulf of Evaluation

• The degree to which the environment provides a
  representation which can be directly interpreted
  to provide accurate state.
• Does the user know what just happened and is left
  in an unambiguous state.

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Gulf of Execution Example

• Want to find Dave Bockus at Brock
• Steps
• Go to Brock home page.
• Click on menu.
• Manually search menu to find Directory
• Assuming you know that directory is what you are
  looking for.
• Type in Name
• Get my email address, extension,
• Alternately, I can use Google via link on top.

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Gulf of Evaluation Example

• How about a Yes/No dialogue box. A simple
  question made complex.

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Articulatory DirectnessMouse Locator, Macro
Express
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Foundations of DM

• Visibility
• is the operation easily visible to the user?
• are relevant objects visible to the user?
• Affordance
• is the use of the object apparent?
• Conceptual Models
• is the users concept of what needs to be done in
  sync with the system?
• Mapping Principles
• does the use of the object follow standards?

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Foundations of DM cont.

• Feedback
• does the user know the exact state of the system
  at all times?
• incremental action at the interface with rapid
  feedback. E.g. moving a file, file is visible
  during the move.
• Drawing on user knowledge
• can the user draw on experience knowledge to help
  cope with the object or task?

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Foundations of DM cont..

• Constraints
• does the system ensure the user follows the
  "Yellow Brick Road
• Replacement of complex command languages
• actions manipulate the visible objects directly.
• Syntactic correctness
• every user action is a syntactic legal action.
• enforced by semantic constraints.

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Icon GuidelinesA picture is worth a 1000 words

• Familiar and Recognizable
• Limit number of different Icons
• Icons should stand out from background
• 3D icons
• Selected icons are clearly visible
• Make Icons distinctive from other icons
• Harmonious members of families
• Movement animation
• Detail information, shading, animation, colour
• Combining Icons to show function, such as
  copying, locking folders, Attribute Joins in Data
  Bases.

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Harmonious Icon Grouping
MS Outlook
Eudora
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Macro Expressallows automation of Windows
Environment
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Access Expression Builder
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Access Query Design
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NextStep OpenStep

• Started in 1989 by Steve Jobs
• Next computer, designed for edu. use.
• A failure, as a company
• NextStep OS - Object Oriented
• Ran on Next computers, Ported to Sun, HP, Intel
  68xxx
• Allowed desktop objects to be combined to form
  new applications.
• Took the lead in OPP programming.
• Now part of Apple (Mac OSx).
• Rapid Application Development (RAD)?
• Visual tools to allow applications to be
  developed quickly
• Interface building applications.
• Legacy
• Developed Object C
• First WebBrowser
• Pioneered HTML

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Guideline for DM programming Environment

• Sufficient computational generality
  (conditionals, iteration)?
• Access to data structures (files, directories,
  booleans, i/o widgets)?
• Ease of programming (by example, by
  demonstration) modularity, argument passing.
• Simplicity in invocation and assignment of
  arguments (direct manipulation, simple library
  strategies, in-context execution).
• Low risk (should work, low error rate, halt
  resume, error recovery, reversal).
• Always leave the system in a safe state

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Visual Basic in Excel
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Visual Basic Builder
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Access - Relation builderDrag fields to make
relationship
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VirtuSpere
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vNmpOQZgHUMo
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The End