The Anti-Mac User Interface (1996)

14 days ago

The article explores an alternative to the WIMP interface called the Anti-Mac interface, which emphasizes language, rich object representations, expert users, and shared control.
It critiques Macintosh design principles like metaphors, direct manipulation, see-and-point, and consistency, arguing they limit innovation and adaptability for future users.
Key Anti-Mac principles include a central role for language (though not full natural language understanding), richer internal and external object representations, more expressive interfaces, targeting expert users, and shared control between users and systems.
The article highlights the mutual reinforcement of design principles and how they align with evolving user needs, such as networked environments and vast information objects.
Examples like the World Wide Web and agents illustrate the benefits of shared control and adaptability over stability and user-only control.
It concludes by advocating for integrated, bottom-up redesigns to leverage advancing hardware capabilities, rather than retrofitting features onto existing interfaces.

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