Apparency of Contingencies in Single Panel Menus
Apparency of Contingencies in Single Panel Menus
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Date
1998-10-15
Authors
Alonso, Diane L.
Norman, Kent L.
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Abstract
What we see is not always what we get. This is the problem when
the underlying structure of an interface is hidden from the user's
view. Users high in Spatial Visualization Ability (SVA), are quick to
learn the contingencies of these relationships and are not hindered by
this problem. Low SVA users, however, have difficulty visualizing
these contingencies and often get lost. We examined data for 97
undergraduate students to determine whether revealing hidden
contingencies though visual cues would facilitate Low SVA users,
enabling them to approach the level of performance of High SVA users
on a computerized path finding task. It was found that increasing
interface apparency does seem to benefit all users, but particularly
those with Low SVA.
(Also cross-referenced as CAR-TR-824)