Humane Interface, The: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems

Chapter One. Background

Nothing is more impossible than to write a book that wins every reader's approval.

—Miguel de Cervantes

This chapter explains that the nature of interfaces and of interface design is widely misunderstood. There is more to interfaces than windows, icons, pull-down menus, and mice. The need to take interface design into account early in the design cycle is sometimes overlooked. Another factor often overlooked is the commonality in the cognitive equipment handed out to all of us. We must take into account common factors before we can deal with the differences among individual humans. Unfortunately, the tools widely available for interface construction are inadequate to this task.

I reject the idea that computers are difficult ...