Home
next up previous contents
Next: The Mouse Click as Up: Design Principles in Human-Computer Previous: Knowing the User and

>

Conclusion

Computer systems can be regarded as a complex system of layers, each layer being an easier to use abstractation of the layer below. An operating system is one of these layers, managing system resources and protecting users from the complexity of a system. Programmers rely on functions provided by operating systems which makes it difficult to determine which layer a user communicates with.
Due to the input and output devices of a typical computer, humans can only use some of their senses. Nevertheless, expectations and experiences determine what is perceived and what is remembered. There are several ways of describing how humans solve problems and plan actions.
HCI design principles are formulated in order to help programmers in the design of user-friendly programs. Most of these principles seem to be developed with regard to the complexity of a computer system and the limitations of humans.

>


Tom Alby
2000-05-30
> _uacct = "UA-276221-6"; urchinTracker();