The Lisa user interface

Abstract

Apple’s Lisa, introduced in January 1983, was the bridge between the first commercial graphical desktop system, the Xerox Star (April 1982), and the Apple Macintosh (January 1984), which popularized it. Although visually similar to current graphical user interfaces, its user model differs substantially. The live demonstration presents a broad view of the Lisa user interface and relates it to other systems. This extended abstract focuses on elements of Lisa’s document-centric user model and context management that made it easier to learn and use than today’s systems.