Proximal user interfaces for control

This author argues that the assumptions behind traditional user interface (UI) design mitigate against the user being directly engaged with the tool. So a new paradigm has been proposed, that of proximal tool, to replace the older one, of distal agent, in guiding UI research and development. Nine principles of proximal user interface are discussed, with an indication of how they have been implemented in a knowledge mapping toolkit and manifested in a computer game. If the new paradigm is adopted, a number of issues must be critically re-examined. Standardization of look and feel must be replaced by a notion of appropriateness.