fyi

Interesting - but they didn't study the question we would like to see

Is pictures and words better than words.

PLEASE NOTE THAT a to e WERE NOT RESULTS BUT THE QUESTIONS.

ONLY (a) TURNED OUT TRUE FOR THE STUDY

Gregg



PICTURES AND WORDS ON BUTTONS IMPROVE USABILITY-Testing the boundaries of
two user-centered design principles: metaphors and memory load, Vaughan,
M.W., International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 10(3), 265-282
(1998).

In a second study, Misha Vaughan (1998) at Indiana University attempted to
determine:
a.	if an interface uses pictures and words on buttons, is it more usable
than an interface that uses only pictures,
b.	if an interface uses familiar metaphors, will it be more usable than one
that uses system metaphors,
c.	if an interface uses the user's natural language, will it be more usable
than an one that uses system language,
d.	if an interface uses simple metaphors, is it more usable than one that
uses complex metaphors, and
e.	if an interface uses shorter names for tasks and functions, is it more
usable than one that uses longer names.

Participants were 108 experienced computer users. The results indicated that
only when an interface 'used pictures and words on buttons' did the
usability reliably improve.





-- ------------------------------
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.
Professor - Human Factors
Dept of Ind. Engr. - U of Wis.
Director - Trace R & D Center
Gv@trace.wisc.edu, http://trace.wisc.edu/
FAX 608/262-8848
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Received on Friday, 28 April 2000 00:32:44 UTC