HyperCard

Hypercard was one of the first commercial hypermedia systems. It was an innovative and elegant combination of data-base concepts, drawing, authoring and linking tools, and the scripting language HyperTalk. Although its main focus was on empowering ordinary Mac users to create their own applications ("stacks"), a wide range of commercial games, interactive books, multi-media CD-ROMs, and personal information managers were produced in Hypercard as well.

It was during this time at Apple that my career focus shifted from away from print design towards software interaction design.

On HyperCard version 1, I contributed to the quality assurance of the authoring tools. For version 2, I was mainly focused on designing and authoring a set of example applications that shipped with the application (including the Home Stack shown).


Hypercard 2.0 Home stack. (Icons by Marge Boots.)

 
 
 

Apple Computer

1987 to 1991

Products Shipped

  • HyperCard Versions 1.0 - 2.1

My Contributions

Interaction Design

  • Designed and programmed example applications ("stacks") and utilities included with v. 2.0.
  • Contributed to user interface design of printing and drawing functionality.

Visual Design

  • Designed example stacks and icons

Other

  • Helped develop a HyperCard-based bug tracking system and other testing aids.
  • Created a HyperCard-based information kiosk for the Apple corporate library.
  • Performed evaluation and quality-assurance testing of software features, with focus on the drawing capabilities, printing, and the scripting language HyperTalk.

Product Information

Wikipedia entries for HyperCard and HyperTalk

HyperCard Forgotten, but Not Gone