Several studies have found that software with graphical interfaces is easy to learn and use (Davis & Bostrom, 1992 Galitz, 1996 Temple & Sloan, 1990). The graphical interface in common use today appears to meet these criteria fairly well. E-mail: Įfficient methods of experts (Wu, 2000). Lane, Rice University, Department of Psychology-MS 25, P.O. Requests for reprints should be sent to David M. INTRODUCTION A good interface should be (a) easy for novices to learn, (b) efficient for experts to use, and (c) provide the means for users to make the transition from the easy-to-learn but inefficient methods of novices to the more difficult-to-learn and The research for this article was partially funded by the Center on the Management of Information Technology at Rice University. One possible way to improve user efficiency is for training programs to provide a roadmap for users to make the transition from using pull-down menus and clicking icon toolbars to issuing keyboard shortcuts.ġ. We conclude that even experienced users are inefficient in their use of graphical interfaces. The keyboard shortcuts were, as expected, the most efficient. Six participants performed common commands using menu selection, icon toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts. A second study was done to verify that keyboard shortcuts are, indeed, the most efficient method. Contrary to our expectations, most experienced users rarely used the efficient keyboard shortcuts, favoring the use of icon toolbars instead. To investigate the extent to which this transition takes place, 251 experienced users of Microsoft Word were given a questionnaire assessing their choice of methods for the most frequently occurring commands. It would seem natural for users to migrate from the use of easy-to-learn menu and icon methods to the more efficient method of keyboard shortcuts as they gain experience. Menus and icon toolbars are easier to learn, whereas keyboard shortcuts are more efficient. Graphical interfaces allow users to issue commands using pull-down menus, icon toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts. Camille Peres Anikó Sándor Department of Psychology Rice University Hidden Costs of Graphical User Interfaces: Failure to Make the Transition from Menus and Icon Toolbars to Keyboard Shortcuts David M. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN–COMPUTER INTERACTION, 18(2), 133–144 Copyright © 2005, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |