Direct Manipulation and Virtual Environments
Introduction
Certain interactive systems generate a glowing enthusiasm among users
that is in marked contrast with the more common reaction of grudging acceptance
or outright hostility. The enthusiastic users' report the following positive
feelings:
· Mastery of the interface
· Competence in performing tasks
· Ease in learning the system originally and in assimilating advanced
features
· Confidence in the capacity to retain mastery over time
· Enjoyment in using the system
· Eagerness to show the system off to novices
· Desire to explore more powerful aspects of the system
These feelings are not universal, but this amalgam is meant to convey an
image of the truly pleased user. The central ideas in these systems is visibility
of the objects and actions of interest; rapid, reversible, incremental actions;
and replacement of complex command-language syntax by direct manipulation
of the object of interest-hence, the term direct manipulation (Shneiderman,
1993). The OAI model provides a sound foundation for understanding
direct manipulation, since it steers the designer to represent the task
domain objects and actions, while minimizing the interface concepts and
the syntax memorization load.
 |
Please send
comments and suggestions to the Booksite
Director
Last Updated:
11 December 2002
|
