Patent
1993-01-12
1997-04-01
Black, Thomas G.
395348, G06F 1730
Patent
active
056171200
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an object selecting method for selecting pictorial symbols such as icons which visually represent system functions (the pictorial symbols are hereinafter referred to as objects).
RELATED ART
As an example, icons for use in computers will be described. When an icon which represents a particular system function is created, its pictorial pattern is determined and then created.
Thus far, a system designer selected an object that he thought that the object strongly related to a particular system function he wanted to represent therewith. For example, as an icon which represented a function "creating a document", an object "pencil" which adequately represented a function "write" was selected in most cases.
As another conventional method for selecting an object, a system designer prepared a plurality of objects which represented system functions as pictorial patterns and had evaluators who could become users of the system evaluate the understandability of the function. As the result of the evaluation, the system designer selected an object with which the evaluators could most highly associate the system function.
In the former method where a system designer selected an object which highly related to a system function, it can be said that an object with high relation is selected in the direction <function.fwdarw.object>. However, in the conventional real icon using environment, users understood the functions through objects which were represented with icons on a display screen. Thus, the users associated objects with functions, that is, they had association in the direction <object.fwdarw.function>. When there are two matters (A and B) and a person associates one matter (A or B) with other matter (B or A), the intensity of association in the direction <A.fwdarw.B> would differ from that in the direction <B.fwdarw.A>. Thus, it could not be assured that objects which were selected in such a conventional method caused the users to correctly understand system functions. Thus, when objects which were selected by the conventional association in the direction of <function.fwdarw.object> were used, the users would associate them with different functions or might associate them with no functions.
Actually, as a result of evaluations of understandability of pictorial patterns of icons, it was known that there were ununderstandable icons which were conventionally used such as a "brush" icon which represented the selection of a drawing brush, and a "bag" icon which represented the selection of a file management.
On the other hand, in the latter method where evaluators selected adequate objects from their alternatives which were proposed by a system designer, all of the alternatives presented by him might be inadequate. In this situation, the evaluators might select objects with which they could most highly associate the system functions. Thus, the evaluators (that is, the users) could not select objects that they could most highly associate with the system functions.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an object selecting method for selecting objects by which users can correctly understand relevant system functions.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The object selecting method of the present invention is an object selecting method for selecting an object of a pictorial pattern for use in designing a pictorial symbol representing a system function is disclosed which comprises a first step of associating a system function with objects representing pictorial symbols, a second step for calculating relation of each associated object and said system function, a third step for narrowing down associated objects to an object with high relation with said system function in accordance with a predetermined criterion based on said relation, a fourth step for associating each narrowed object with a functional element, a fifth step for calculating relation of each associated functional element and each of said objects, and a sixth step fo
REFERENCES:
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Black Thomas G.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Lintz Paul R.
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