7. People See Cues that Tell Them What to Do With an Object

How Objects Communicate

Objects communicate how you can and how you should interact with them. Objects communicate through cues based on its shape and size. The cues are called affordances and ultimately create action possibilitiesObjects should be easily perceived, figured out, and interpreted what it is and what should be done with it.If the object does not do what it looks like it should, that is an incorrect affordance.

Perceived Affordances on Computer Screens

Buttons are a great example of perceived affordances on a computer screen. Different colors are displayed on the outer edges of a button. Lighter colors on the outer edges show a button is able to be pushed. Darker colors on the edges indicate the button has been pushed. Giving an affordance will cause one to more likely do the action.