Human Interface Framework
A brand-independent standard for operating systems, applications, websites, documentation, builders, kiosks, AI and future forms of interface.
Core principle
Products and brands may take different forms while preserving consistent meanings, human rights and safeguards.
Core documents
Foundations
Knowledge baseThe complete HIF knowledge architecture, source policy, claim classes and maintenance model.UI philosophyA model of the human being, foundational values, theoretical traditions and the limits of universal UI rules.Foundations and evidenceHuman capabilities, HCI theory, cognitive models and rules for translating evidence into interface decisions.Interface ConstitutionSeventy-five universal requirements covering objects, commands, state, accessibility, trust, automation and colour systems.
Architecture and interaction
Interaction modelObjects, commands, states, events, focus, navigation, automation and AI.Content and information architectureDomain models, taxonomy, navigation, search, forms, localisation and content evaluation.Accessibility and inclusionAssistive technologies, input methods, user preferences and inclusive research.Accessibility assurance and conformance recordA controlled record for scope, standards, assistive technologies, user needs, findings, exceptions, statements and release decisions.
Design foundations
Design foundationsPerception, hierarchy, composition, aesthetic judgement and a disciplined algorithm for expressive decisions.Visual languageLayout, typography, colour, iconography, motion, density and design tokens.Colour and themingColour science, palette construction, semantic roles, contrast, gamut, themes and acceptance testing.Colour system profile templateA reproducible brief, constraint set, token inventory and release record for generated product palettes.TypographyTypeface selection, hierarchy, legibility, multilingual text, variable fonts, loading, licensing and tokens.Layout and compositionPerceptual grouping, grids, rhythm, spacing, alignment, balance, density, layers and layout tokens.Responsive and adaptive designIntrinsic layout, content breakpoints, reflow, input capabilities, safe areas, localisation and state continuity.Imagery and iconographyPhotography, illustration, diagrams and icons: semantics, accessibility, ethics, performance and provenance.Motion, sound and hapticsCausality, attention, timing, easing, interruption, reduced motion, audio, haptics and multimodal acceptance.Data visualisationTasks, encodings, scales, uncertainty, interaction, accessibility, dashboards and protection against misleading charts.Brand expressionIdentity, voice, distinctiveness, white-label architecture, brand tokens, governance, provenance and ethical limits.Interface pattern catalogueReusable interaction patterns, their semantics, limitations, accessibility and admission criteria.Design review and critiqueA multi-pass review method that separates observation, inference, judgement, preference and accountable action.
Systems and profiles
Design systems engineeringTokens, component contracts, contribution, maturity, quality engineering, releases and adoption.Industry design systemsGoogle, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, Salesforce, Shopify, Atlassian, GOV.UK, USWDS and GitHub.Application profilesOS shells, applications, the web, builders, installers, kiosks, retro systems, AI and white-label products.Product profile templateA reusable product profile, traceability matrix and conformance statement.
Governance and rights
Legal, IP and platform referencesA mandatory legal-risk baseline for independent creation, third-party rights, platform resources, similarity, regulation and release.Rights clearance and release recordControlled records for product obligations, assets, platforms, references, open source, AI, counsel review and each release.
Evidence and practice
Design process and researchA rigorous lifecycle for framing, research, synthesis, prototyping, evaluation and operational learning.Inspection tooling and evidence contractMachine-readable rules, evidence levels, adapters, coverage, report contracts, security boundaries and release gates.Evaluation and conformanceMetrics, research methods, levels of conformance and release gates.Metrics and experimentationGoals, HEART, task measures, controlled experiments, triangulation and responsible interpretation.Test designRisk-based test cases, partitions, boundaries, decision tables, state transitions and combinatorial coverage.Web audit playbookA reproducible commercial method for finding, prioritising, fixing and retesting client-site problems.Audit report templateAn evidence-led client report, finding register, remediation roadmap and retest record.ReferencesStandards, primary academic sources and platform conventions.
Documentation model
HIF separates philosophy, the normative Constitution, formal interaction architecture, design foundations, specialised visual and multimodal systems, accessibility, application profiles and conformance evaluation. Product design systems derive from the standard; they do not define it.
Status
Version 0.5 is a growing normative and professional knowledge base for broad white-label use. Its Constitution contains 75 stable requirements identified by the HIF-* prefix.