Core Concepts: Feedback, Consistency, and New Instances

Computer as an assistant: must report progress to the user.
Feedback is any indication that the computer is working or has completed a task.
Feedback forms vary by operation: visible changes, shading, color changes, and audible cues.
Instantaneous operations: UI signals completion immediately; for edits, completion is the visible revision.
When an effect isn’t discernible (e.g., clicking a digital button), feedback confirms the action occurred.

Applications from different vendors share common patterns (e.g., Word vs. PowerPoint) such as icons and menus.
Old apps often have File and Edit menus; newer apps may use ribbons, icon collections, or touch gestures.
Consistency exists because many operations are fundamental and required across apps, not just for feature novelty.
Consistency helps users learn new apps quickly by behavior that looks and acts the same.

Many applications support core editing operations: Edit: Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo, Select All, Find, Replace, and more.
These operations are common because they are fundamental to processing information across contexts.
Reason for similarity: not only code reuse but necessity of these functions in handling information.

When referencing an operation across operating systems, use a common shorthand: ^C to indicate the shortcut requiring either the Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) key, depending on the OS.

Clicking around: explore the application to learn available features.
Blazing away: aggressively try features, based on the idea that software is forgiving and won’t crash the computer.
Both approaches are justified by interface consistency and the non-destructive nature of software use.

Exiting and relaunching an application is common; the humor arises from the frequent need to restart after mistakes.
Concept: getting out (exit) and getting back in (relaunch) as a standard troubleshooting flow.

New command creates a blank instance of a given information type.
Information is organized into types, each with properties (e.g., image has height/width in pixels; calendar has days, start day, year; document has length).
An instance is a specific item of a type (e.g., your term paper is a document; July 2016 is a calendar instance).
A new/blank instance is the structure waiting to receive content, e.g., an empty contact form.
Visual: a blank form represents a new instance ready for data.

On some devices, New may not create a file; it may create a blank entry in a database instead of a file.
This reflects variability in how New is implemented across devices.