GUIdebook: Graphical User Interface galleryHome > Books > “Apple Human Interface Guidelines”
GUIsTimelinesScreenshotsIconsSoundsSplashesApplicationsAdsVideosArticlesBooksTutorialsExtras
Go backBooksApple Human Interface Guidelines

“Human Interface Guidelines” front cover
This image can be zoomed
Apple Human Interface Guidelines
The Apple Desktop Interface

Addison Wesley, 1987
162 pages
0-2011-7753-6

This is the third edition of guidelines for creating interfaces with Macintosh GUI, published in mid-1988. It has been superceded many times. The updated Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines book was released in 1992, then the guidelines were made available freely on the website as PDF, Link points to external site updated to Mac OS X (as Aqua Human Interface Guidelines), and eventually made compliant with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, renamed again to Apple Human Interface Guidelines. When compared to this PDF, the original book seems surprisingly short and simple, but that’s just signum temporis, as GUIs back then were also unsophisticated. And that – looking at the recipes and foundations of the initial versions of the first popular GUI, and comparing them with the contemporary interfaces – seems its only use today.

Buy at Amazon.com Similar books:
Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines Link points to external site

Back cover blurb

The following paragraphs are quoted verbatim from the back cover:

Created by the people at Apple Computer, this is the definitive guide to the Apple Desktop Interface – the graphics-based “windows and menus” interface first made popular on the Macintosh® computer. This book is for everyone who wants to implement the Apple Desktop Interface on any Macintosh or Apple II computer.

It includes the following topics:
The philosophy and history behind the Apple Desktop Interface.
The design principles and metaphors upon which the interface is based.
Detailed specifications for how the elements of the interface should work – how to use the windows, menus, dialog boxes, and controls that make up the Apple Desktop Interface.
How to integrate color and sound into the interface.
Guidelines on designing for international markets and for handicapped users.

About the cover: This design represents a new look for the original edition of Human Interface Guidelines: The Apple Desktop Interface and the other books in the Apple Technical Library. The contents have not been changed.”

Contents

Figures and tablesix
Chapter1
Chapter 1. Philosophy1
A view of the user2
General design principles3
Metaphors from the real world3
Direct manipulation4
See-and-point (instead of remember-and-type)4
Consistency6
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)6
User control7
Feedback and dialog7
Forgiveness8
Perceived stability8
Aesthetic integrity9
Principles of graphic communication9
Visual consistency10
Simplicity10
Clarity11
A strategy for programming11
Modelessness12
The event loop13
Reversible actions13
The screen14
Plain language14
User testing15
The design process15
Test subjects15
Procedures15
Designing for disabled people16
Vision disabilities16
Hearing disabilities17
Other disabilities17
Chapter 2. Elements of the Desktop Interface19
Screen elements20
The desktop20
Windows22
Window manipulation23
Dialog boxes, alert boxes, and controls23
Menus24
The menu bar25
Menu items25
Human-computer interaction27
Pointing28
Mouse actions28
Pointers28
Selecting29
Keyboard actions30
Color30
What is color?31
Standard uses of color31
Color coding31
General principles of color design32
Design in black and white32
Limit color use33
Contrast and discrimination33
Colors on grays33
Colored text34
Beware of blue34
Small objects34
Specific recommendations34
Backgrounds34
Outlines34
Highlighting and selection35
Menus35
Windows35
Dialog and alert boxes35
Pointers35
Sound36
When to use sound36
Getting attention36
Alerts36
Modes36
General guidelines37
Restraint37
Redundancy37
Unobtrusiveness37
Significant differences37
User control37
Summary38
Chapter 3. Specifications39
Introduction40
The desktop40
Windows42
Document windows43
Opening and closing windows43
Multiple windows44
The active window45
Moving a window45
Changing the size of a window46
Window zooming46
Scroll bars49
Scrolling with the scroll arrows50
Scrolling by windowful50
Scrolling by dragging the scroll box51
Proportional scroll boxes51
Automatic scrolling52
Splitting a window53
Panels55
Controls, dialog boxes, and alerts55
Controls56
Buttons56
Check boxes and radio button56
Dials57
Dialog boxes58
Alerts60
Beeps60
Alert boxes61
Desk accessories63
Menus65
The menu bar65
Menu items66
Choosing a menu item66
Appearance of menu items67
Grouping operations in menus67
Toggled menu items68
Special visual features69
Scrolling menus 71
Keyboard equivalents for menu items72
Interrupting an operation73
The standard menus74
The Apple menu74
The File menu75
New76
Open76
Close77
Save78
Save As78
Revert to Saved79
Page Setup79
Print80
Quit80
The Edit menu80
The Clipboard81
Undo82
Cut83
Copy83
Paste83
Clear83
Select All84
Show Clipboard84
Font-related menus84
Font menu84
FontSize menu85
Style menu86
Special menu types87
Hierarchical menus87
Pop-up menus88
Palettes90
Tear-off menus91
The pointing device93
Cursors, pointers, and insertion points93
Mouse actions95
Clicking95
Double-clicking96
Pressing96
Dragging97
Mouse-ahead97
The keyboard98
Character keys98
Enter98
Tab98
Return99
Backspace (or Delete)99
Clear99
Escape99
Modifier keys100
Shift100
Caps Lock100
Option100
The Apple (or Command) key101
The Control key101
Type-ahead and auto-repeat101
International keyboards102
Arrow keys102
Appropriate uses for the arrow keys102
Moving the insertion point103
Moving the insertion point in empty documents103
Using modifier keys with arrow keys104
Function keys105
Selecting106
Types of objects106
Selection in general108
Selection by clicking108
Range selection109
Extending a selection109
Making a discontinuous selection110
Selection by data type111
Selections in text111
Making a selection with arrow keys113
Undoing a text selection114
Selections in graphics115
Selections in arrays and tables116
Editing text118
Inserting text118
Backspacing118
Replacing text118
Intelligent cut and paste119
Editing fields120
Appendix A. The Roots of the Apple Desktop Interface123
Appendix B. Software for International Markets125
General guidelines125
Macintosh localization126
Text127
Line spacing127
Font selection127
Uppercase and lowercase127
Menus128
The International Utilities Package128
The Script Manager128
Dialog and alert boxes 129
Appendix C. Recommended Reading131
Index137

Page added on 6th June 2004, and updated on 11th September 2004.

Copyright © 2002-2006 Marcin Wichary, unless stated otherwise.