Measures of User-System Interface Effectiveness: An Encoding Scheme and Indicators for Assessing the Usability of Graphical, Direct-Manipulation Style User Interfaces.

摘要

The purpose of this MITRE Sponsored Research project was to develop methods and measures for evaluating user-system interface effectiveness for command and control systems with graphical, direct manipulation style interfaces. Due to the increased use of user interface prototyping during concept definition and demonstration/validation phases, the opportunity exists for human factors engineers to apply evaluation methodologies early enough in the life cycle to make an impact on system design. Understanding and improving user-system interface (USI) evaluation techniques is critical to this process. In 1986, Norman proposed a descriptive 'stages of user activity' model of human-computer interaction (HCI). Hutchins, Hollan, and Norman (1986) proposed concepts of measures based on the model which would assess the directness of the engagements between the user and the interface at each stage of the model. We created operational definitions of the concepts of directness, and derived observable indicators that certain types of indirectness may exist in the interface design. This phase of our research program involved using these concepts as a basis for a methodology of analyzing data collected during usability studies. A usability study was performed on the Military Airspace Management System (MAMS) prototype; four participants' and one user interface expert's data were used for further analysis.... User-system interface, Human-computer interaction.