PRINCIPLES FOR THE XEROX STAR

• The design of the Xerox STAR was guided by a set of principles that evolved over its 

lengthy development process. These principles established the foundation for 

graphical interfaces.

• Displaying objects that are selectable and manipulable must be created.

• A design challenge is to invent a set of displayable objects that are represented 

meaningfully and appropriately for the intended application.

• It must be clear that these objects can be selected, and how to select them must be 

Self-evident.

• When they are selected should also be obvious, because it should be clear that the 

selected object will be the focus of the next action. Standalone icons easily fulfilled 

this requirement.

• The handles for windows were placed in the borders.

• Visual order and viewer focus: Attention must be drawn, at the proper time, to the 

important and relevant elements of the display. Effective visual contrast between 

various components of the screen is used to achieve this goal. Animation is also used 

to draw attention, as is sound.