History of Apple HIG Design: Origins of the 1987/1992 Desktop GUI Specifications (10 → 12 Human Interface Principles)
The source of the modern Apple HIG and even the entire field of graphical interface design — two historic classic PDFs. The 1987 *Apple Human Interface Guidelines: The Apple Desktop Interface* (164 pages, the first official HIG) put forward 10 human interface principles; the 1992 *Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines* (418 pages, complete 11-chapter edition) expanded them to 12. The 12 principles: Metaphors / Direct Manipulation / See-and-Point (noun-then-verb) / Consistency / WYSIWYG / User Control / Feedback and Dialog / Forgiveness / Perceived Stability / Aesthetic Integrity / Modelessness / Knowledge of Your Audience. Plus principles of graphic communication (visual consistency / simplicity / clarity). Bilingual. These principles established in 1987 remain the root of [[apple-hig-design-principles]] today.