Free Essay Example: Principles of Direct Manipulation

It should be acknowledged that direct manipulation is designed to make the users conceptualize the real images being presented to them on the screen. N the contemporary world many people enjoy playing video games. The backdrop is enjoyable and lovely. It is no surprise that the use of direct manipulation concepts is phenomenal in computer games. Under the concept of direct manipulation an item stays noticeable on the display while the customer acts physically on the object. This system has indeed brought changes in human-computer interaction from what used to be dialogue to the current manipulation concept. This is because it employs the use of visual language to interact with the users. There exist three principles of direct manipulation, which are ideal and useful in video game controls (Vogel & Balakrishnan, 2010).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

One of the principles of direct manipulation is attributed to the fact that this design continuously represents the object of interest to the users. Notably, direct manipulation is designed to permit users to visualize all that data that are represented to them at all times. This aspect makes the direct manipulation useful in video game controls. For instance, this principle provides users with the visual and real presentation of images in the process of playing any game. In this aspect, the user is able to manipulate the game while employing the help of the video screen.

Another vital principle of direct manipulation is that "physical actions or labeled button presses instead of complex syntax." This principle means that the physical actions that the user engages in are the same as those that they partake in their real and everyday life situation. Such actions are therefore not difficult to repeat or be learned by the user (Vogel & Balakrishnan, 2010). The user is consequently assisted by a handheld device to control the movements of images that appear on the video screen. For example, this principle helps users to have the ability to correct any perceived error as well as conduct any complicated action on the video screen. Users, therefore, feel free to operate and manipulate their characters in video game. They can manage characters to either walk or run while playing video games. The final principle of direct manipulation is "rapid, incremental, reversible actions whose effects on the objects of interest are visible immediately." This principle depicts that soon as the change is made in the interface it instantly becomes available for viewing (Vogel & Balakrishnan, 2010). The command imposed by the user help in controlling the video game as well as its speed and directions. For example, this principle helps the user to connect with the real experience of the world while playing video games.

Video Game-type Interfaces

One needs to understand that there exist different video game interfaces that are useful in regards to a given or specific game design. The layout of the user interface recreations differs from the layout of another UI because it has an additional part-fantasy. The fiction contains a sign of the actual user. In novels or films, the actor becomes a subtle yet essential part of the tale. This fiction can be explicitly linked, close or in no way to the UI. Diversions were verifiably not linked to the amusement record, probably because premature recreations often had strong narrative elements. Another video game type interface is related to Diegetic User Interface Design. Diegetic User Interface Design is used in games that entail simulated actions as well as geometry of mind. This makes it possible for users to socialize with objects or images in the game via visual means (Beltran et al., 2012). The users then get a comprehensive integration of the game on the video screen. Additionally, there is Meta user interface which does not allow elements of geometry world to work via the video screen. Meta user interface offers the player with the blood splattering that is visualized on the screen. Conversely, the spatial user interface helps the player to keep video game in a fiction motion.

There exist reasons why video game-type interfaces are not applicable to real-world applications. One of the main reasons as why video game-type interfaces is not applicable in the real world situation is attributed to the fact that users who participate in video games tend to seek for a real and vital relationship with the game on the screen. As a result, such relationship may culminate into difficulties while trying to identify an individual with a real-life situation. This aspect explains the reason as to why users of video game usually spend the better part of their time while playing the games to reduce direct or social interaction with their peers since such interaction requires high level of skills to maintain. Indeed, the stress that emanates from the real world interaction forces players to stick to video games in return (Beltran et al., 2012).

Secondly, video game-type interfaces cannot be applicable in real world situation since it adversely affects women who are struggling with marital relationships. It is depicted that there is a latent addiction to video game and this adversely affects the marital relationship between men and women. This is because women who have trouble with marital relationships tend to get attracted to online relationship through directly manipulating the images on the video games. Video game type interface, therefore, is not applicable in real situation since possess greater risk on marital relationships. Finally, video game-type interfaces have been a disadvantage to most learning institution since it results in low grades of GPA (Beltran et al., 2012). Players of video games tend to showcase low grade as compared to those that do not play such games. This is because video game type interface is more of fiction rather than the real facts concerning life.

Advantages of Direct Manipulation

Command-line interfaces are applicable especially in complicated task that may entail processing of multiple objects. This is disadvantageous to the contemporary user flexible and straightforward interface that is only provided by employing direct manipulation. Another advantage of direct manipulation is that its users always find it easy to learn and navigate the games according to their needs as compared to Command-line interfaces that require high level of skills to manipulate (Stephenson, 2004). Finally, direct manipulation makes it possible for the users to detect any changes in the system since the icon is the same despite the difference in the command area. In command line interface, any change in the system negatively impacts the process, and the user is then alerted to start operation again.

Problems of Direct Manipulation

In as much as there are advantages of direct manipulation, it also possesses some problems. For instance, it requires a bigger screen space to operate hence forces the players to scroll the entire pages of the interface to get the requested data or information. Conversely, direct manipulation entails high level flow chart as well as the schema of the data source. This makes it complicated for some users hence they tend to sought to command-line interface with low level of flow chart (Iseki, & Shneiderman, 1986). To be precise, direct manipulation encompasses some tasks that are likely to slow down the process of operating the system hence forces the user to stay awake waiting for the commend response on the screen. Finally, direct simulation is prone to some errors and may showcase insufficient movements on the screen hence frustrate users who are deeply attached to the video game interfaces.

References

Beltran, L. P., Merabti, M., & Shi, Q. (2012). The Use of a game-based interface for home network security. In 13h Annual Postgraduate Symposium on Convergence of Telecommunications, Networking and Broadcasting. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/32969539/1569603157.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DThe_Use_of_a_Game-based_Interface_for_Ho.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20190824%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20190824T143635Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=b161eaf65bf946a05442b3132b4399cd4e43604775924ffc6d34b351d9f44d1c

Iseki, O., & Shneiderman, B. (1986). Applying direct manipulation concepts: direct manipulation dik operating system (DMDOS). ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes, 11(2), 22-26.

Stephenson, N. (2004). In the beginning was the command line. Retrieved from https://faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Stephenson-CommandLine-1999.pdf

Vogel, D., & Balakrishnan, R. (2010). Direct pen interaction with a conventional graphical user interface. Human-Computer Interaction, 25(4), 324-388. doi>10.1145/382248.382815