Assignment Details
Early computer systems relied on command line interfaces to perform all actions. Today, the majority of systems use direct manipulation rather than a command line interface. The goal of designing a direct manipulation interface is to make use of the system intuitive to the end user. One industry that has been extremely successful designing intuitive direct manipulation inputs is the video game industry. Most game players are able to learn controls as they play a game and then apply the same controls to similar games. Rarely do they need to read a user manual.
Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:
Describe the three (3) principles of direct manipulation and give examples as to how they are used in video game controls.
Analyze video game-type interfaces and discuss three (3) reasons why video game-type interfaces would not be effective for real-world applications.
Describe at least three (3) advantages of direct manipulation versus command line interfaces.
Evaluate direct manipulation and describe three (3) problems with it.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Describe direct manipulation and virtual environments.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in human-computer interaction.
Write clearly and concisely about HCI topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.
ANSWER:
The term direct manipulation was coined in the 1980s at a time when command-line interfaces were dominant. It entails a form of interaction where the objects in the user interface are visible and controllable through physical actions that are reversible and incremental. Importantly, direct manipulation triggers immediate feedback. It (direct manipulation) is the central concept that is used in graphical user interfaces. It combines physical actions, for instance, dragging and dropping, with menu-based interactions in a way that a user will require minimal learning. Direct manipulation is an interface technology that allows real-time interaction between a user and the system.
Principles of Direct Manipulation
Direct manipulation operates under three primary principles. To begin with, it observes the principle of continuous representation of objects and actions with meaningful visual metaphors (Benyon, & Palanque, 2012). A user can see the visual representation of an object on the screen. He or she will act and will see its effect in real-time. In that regard, direct manipulation creates an opportunity for the user to interact with the system through the visual representations of objects. In video game controls, direct manipulation continue reading…