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· Sep 23, 2021

Why are there no "standard texts" on designing software interfaces? (or tell me I'm wrong?) If you want to learn to *build* software, there are excellent and complete texts on the subject. It's not just a tech-vs-art thing: there are standard texts on type, drawing, color, etc.

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It's surprisingly difficult to find a PDF of the 1987 edition online, so here you go: andymatuschak.org/files/papers/A

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3:46 AM · Oct 11, 2021Twitter Web App

If you've only read "modern" HIGs, I definitely recommend reading the 1987 edition! It's *very* different. It is amusingly difficult to imagine this passage in a contemporary Apple text.

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Funny also to imagine this in a modern Apple text. One thing that really struck me at Apple was that none of my colleagues seemed to read for their work, either historic material or contemporary stuff. (Part of what was so interesting was that this often didn't seem to matter…)

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sarahzrf (NOT a mathematician)

Oh my gosh, and there's a (pre-release) 1985 HIG that's quite different. It includes e.g. case studies (useful!), and an extended discussion of Jung's theories of intuition and how they should influence your designs (!!) mirrors.apple2.org.za/Apple%20II%20D (h/t

@ShekharGurav

)

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One of the original philosophies was that it’s safe to experiment (as a user). Of course, that’s not where things have ended up and many people still have a fear of messing up… as they should given the software quality they are working with.

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It's refreshing to read a design philosophy grounded in optimism towards the user.

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So good. And shockingly nothing has changed. Verbal: squished into 280 but still here Visual: 👨🏼‍💻💁🏼‍♂️🙃 Gestural:

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@sarah_zrf

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🥴

User control

The user, not the computer, initiates and controls all actions.

People learn best when they're actively engaged. Too often, however, the computer acts and the user merely reacts within a limited set of options. In other instances, the computer "takes care" of the user, offering only those alternatives that are judged "good" for the user or that "protect" the user from detailed deliberations.

On the surface, the concept of computer as protector may seem quite appealing, but this approach puts the computer, rather than the user, in the driving role—something quite at odds with the basic philosophy of the Apple Desktop Interface.

In the Apple Desktop Interface, if the user attempts something risky, the computer provides a warning, but allows the action to proceed if the user confirms that this is what he wants. This approach "protects" the beginner but allows the user to remain in control.

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lmfao

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Smells like

As a conduit from Piaget, Papert, Bruner, et al, to Apple — 💯

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I wonder if Alan Dye has read them?