Jef Raskin (born Jeff Raskin; March 9, 1943 – February 26, 2005) was an American human–computer interface expert who conceived and began leading the Macintosh project at Apple in the late 1970s. (wikipedia)
Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining.
An interface is humane if it is responsive to human needs and considerate of human frailties.
Right now, computers, which are supposed to be our servant, are oppressing us.
A well-designed and humane interface does not need to be split into beginner and expert subsystems.
What users want is convenience and results.
A computer shall not harm your work or, through inaction, allow your work to come to harm.
A computer shall not waste your time or require you to do more work than is strictly necessary.
The system should treat all user input as sacred.
Once the product's task is known, design the interface first; then implement to the interface design.
Users do not care about what is inside the box, as long as the box does what they need done.