Distinguishable interfaces

Distinguishable interfaces use computer graphic principles to automatically
generate easily distinguishable appearance for computer data.
Although the <a href="/facts/Desktop_metaphor/kWQQNlxu">desktop metaphor</a> revolutionized user interfaces, there is evidence
that a spatial layout alone does little to help in locating files and other data;
distinguishable appearance is also required.
Studies have shown that average users have considerable difficulty finding files
on their personal computers, even ones that they created the same day.
Search engines do not always help, since it has been found that users
often know of the existence of a file without being able to specify relevant search terms.
On the contrary, people appear to incrementally search for files using some form of context.
Recently researchers and web developers have argued that the problem is the
lack of distinguishable appearance: in the traditional computer interface most objects
and locations appear identical. This problem rarely occurs in the real world, where
both objects and locations generally have easily distinguishable appearance.
Discriminability was one of the recommendations in the 
ISO 9241-12 recommendation on presentation of information on visual displays
(part of the overall report on <a href="/facts/ISO_9241/G1TIdbCW">Ergonomics of Human System Interaction</a>),
however it was assumed in that report that this would be achieved by manual 
design of graphical symbols.

Distinguishable interfaces open-in-new

Distinguishable interfaces