2.2.6-1 When to Use Direct Manipulation

Direct manipulation should be used primarily in tasks with actions and objects that lend themselves to pictographic representation, and in which the actions and objects need not be modified for the successful interpretation of the command by the system.

Additional Information:
In command entry by direct manipulation, the techniques for selecting and moving displayed objects would be similar to those described in guidelines for graphic data entry. For example, rather than compose a command or select a function key to file a document, a user might move a displayed icon representing the document to superimpose it on another icon representing a file. An extension of this idea is the use of "embedded menus" in which various items within a working display are highlighted in some way to indicate that they can be selected to obtain further information.