"The computer can't tell you the emotional story. We can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows".

Anyone who has ever designed a software application that has any sort of user intervention portion has played a part in human-computer interface development history. If you've created any sort of WebSite, then this means you, too. Perhaps some of these ventures haven't played a very crucial part, and they haven't turned the computer industry or the public on its year, but there have been some that have. Take the introduction of the Macintosh operating system for instance, which then bred the rush of other visual operating systems such as Tandy's desk mate, Geo works, and Microsoft Windows for PCs. Suddenly, floppy and hard disks were represented by desk icons, documents by symbolic electronic sheets of paper, directories by tiny Manila folders-at the very least, we could use menus and keyboard shortcuts to manipulate our files. We take these features for granted now, and most of us know what these symbols mean, and what will happen when we double-click on them.

This success stems from the familiarity people have with the properties these symbols represent. The folder holds files, a trash bin is where you throw things away. And it's great  that instead of having to type out archaic commands, we can click on a file and drag it from place to place.

Have you ever noticed the little "Home-row" bumps under computers keyboard? They're a favor to us touch typists so that we know where to place our fingers without looking at the keyboard-a form of touch-typist braille if you will. Well, on a typical DOS/Windows keyboard, the bumps are on the letters F. and J. On the Mac, they're on the D and K.  If I've been using a Windows machine, and switched to a Mac, I'll type "Ygr eubf ud viytdudh ygtiyhg nt gsut,,," rather than "the wind is coursing through my hair..." Before I know what's hit me. Is this bad interface design, or simply a mistake? I'm not sure-at just know that if I've just type something that's complete gibberish, I'm annoyed.

BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL INTERFACE DESIGNER

It's logical to conclude that if someone is comfortable getting around your site, they'll spend more time there, and enjoy the experience that much more. While Web design and implementation isn't the same as developing, say, an ergonomic toaster, the basic human-thing interface rules apply. Namely, that as innovative or beautiful or zippy your site or application is, if it doesn't serve the person using it, it's no good.

And yes, we are at the mercy of whatever browser our viewers happen to be using. This we can't help. But we can make information we present accessible in a familiar, and yet unique fashion.

Donald Norman, author of The Design Of Everyday Things, stated in his interview that "the first principle of human interface design, whether for a door knob or a computer, is to keep in mind the human being who wants to use it. The technology is subservient to that goal." He then went on to suggest that the ideal interface design team should include cognitive scientists. (" Or at least a psychologist or and anthropologist"), programmers, and industrial designers. Shell I wait here while you go back to school for 40 years?

LET'S JUST FACE FACTS. Most of us, when faced with a Web design project, don't have this kind of team to play back-up for us, and I envy you immensely if you're both and HTML coder and a cognitive scientists.

What we fallback on is logic and our own experience with applications (street signs), and look at sites that we find intuitive to give us ideas that take us down the non--wayward road.

LOGIC VS. REALITY

Can we assumed that every newbie on the Web knows that if a word is underlined that means that when they click on it, it will take them somewhere? Or that when they put their cursor over an image, and it turns into a little pointing hand, that when they click, they'll be on their way to a new experience? I really can't tell you for sure. There are symbols that most computer users are used to, or well-run across in nearly every application they'll use. One, for example is the question mark. Generally people know that they click there when they are thinking, "I have questions, I need help!"

Your assignment for today is:

1. To find 20 common navigation icons. Copy them onto a page and give an explanation as to how they should be used.

2. Then find three websites on the Web which have free buttons or symbols for you to use on your websites.