05-830, User Interface Software, Spring, 1997
Lecture 1,   January 13, 1997
Copyright © 1997 - Brad Myers


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Why are Interfaces Important, and
Why are they Hard
To Design and Implement?


Why Are User Interfaces Important?

Percent devoted to the UI:



Why Are User Interfaces Hard to Design?

Why Are User Interfaces Hard to Implement?

Example: Reading a filename

Strategy Problem
1) Readln() in Pascal. if wrong, aborts
2) Loop reading name no ability to look for file
3) add window system can look, but need to retype
(requires multi-processing, window refresh, etc.)
4) add cut/paste user needs to know how to run ls
5) add menu of file names need to be able to change directories
6) add that want to create directories, also
7) add that want to be able to abort reading a file
(requires that read have an error return)
8) add that want context-dependent help system
(e.g., to describe why file is wanted and how to get it)
9) add that want UNDO
(mostly useful for writing; implies backup copies)
10) and on and on ....

HCI At CMU:

Exercise:


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