An empirical comparison of menu selection, command entry and combined modes of computer control
Author:
- 1 April 1988
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Behaviour & Information Technology
- Vol. 7 (2) , 173-182
Abstract
Command entry and menu selection control modes, along with a combination of the two, were compared using objective performance and subjective preference measures. Experienced as well as novice users of an interactive computer aided design system participated in the study. Although command entry produced performance that was superior to the other two modes, there was a strong user preference for the combined mode. Therefore, it is recommended that combined modes of control be considered for future systems, as long as there is a means to deactivate the menus. These results dispel the notion that menus are necessarily viewed as a hindrance by experienced users of a computer system.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Guidelines for Designing User Interface Software1986
- User performance with command, menu, and iconic interfaces1985
- The ZOG approach to man-machine communicationInternational Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 1981