So I’m researching interface standards, and I’m reading AskTog: First Principles and in the middle of the usual “consistency good” and “Fitt’s Law” was this gem of a concept…
“Human Interface Objects
Human-interface objects are not necessarily the same as objects found in object-oriented systems. Our objects include folders, documents, and the trashcan. They appear within the user’s environment and may or may not map directly to an object-oriented object. In fact, many early gui’s were built entirely in non-object-oriented environments.
Human-interface objects can be seen, heard, touched, or otherwise perceived.
Human interface objects that can be seen are quite familiar in graphic user interfaces. Objects that play to another sense such as hearing or touch are less familiar. Good work has been done in developing auditory icons (Gaver).
Human-interface objects have a standard way of interacting.
Human-interface objects have standard resulting behaviors.
Human-interface objects should be understandable, self-consistent, and stable.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of universal icons (which of course, aren’t really universal, but that’s my current codename for the idea) such as the magnifying glass for zoom, or an envelope for email. The few icons that actually don’t need labels.
What are some examples of human-interface objects? (Beyond Tog’s trash can, file folder, etc)