Abstract: In one implementation, a method for ensuring the trustworthiness of graphical user interfaces is described wherein a computing system user selects and/or modifies an image to be used as at least a portion of the background of one or more visual elements of a graphical user interface of a trusted computing environment. The user selected background image facilitates recognition by the user of the trustworthiness of the environment's graphical user interface when it is displayed to the user. The computing system seals the selected image or a modified version of the selected image within the trusted computing environment to prevent access to that image by computing environments other than the trusted computing environment. Additional embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Representing display objects, such as windows, in a graphical user interface in such a way as to indicate which display object should be focused on by a user as a currently active display object. The method includes modifying appearance characteristics of a first display object, the first display object transitioning from an active to an inactive state, to make the first display object appear farther from a user than at least one other display object. The method further includes modifying appearance characteristics of a second display object, the second display object transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, to make the second display object appear closer to the user than at least the first display object. The user intuitively recognizes the nearer display object as the currently active display object.