Assignment 3: Direct Manipulation
Due Week 8 and worth 80 points
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:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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 gametype 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.