 |
Perceived Stability
Computers often introduce a new level of complexity for people. If people are to cope with this complexity, they need some stable reference points. The Macintosh interface is designed to provide a computer environment that is understandable, familiar, and predictable.
To give users a visual sense of stability, the Macintosh interface provides the desktop, a two-dimensional space on which objects are placed. It also defines a number of consistent graphics elements (menu bar, window border, and so on) to maintain the illusion of stability. Note that it is the perception of stability that you want to preserve, not stability in any strict physical sense.
To give users a conceptual sense of stability, the interface provides a clear, finite set of objects and a clear, finite set of actions to perform on those objects. Even when particular actions are unavailable, they are not eliminated from a display but are merely dimmed.
|
