article Free Access Share on The role of laboratory experiments in HCI: help, hindrance, or ho-hum? Authors: C. G. Wolf IBM Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY IBM Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NYView Profile , J. M. Carroll IBM Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY IBM Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NYView Profile , T. K. Landauer Bellcore, Morristown, NJ Bellcore, Morristown, NJView Profile , B. E. John Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PAView Profile , J. Whiteside Digital Equipment Corporation Digital Equipment CorporationView Profile Authors Info & Claims ACM SIGCHI BulletinVolume 20Issue SIMarch 1989 pp 265–268https://doi.org/10.1145/67450.67500Online:01 March 1989Publication History 8citation0DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations8Total Downloads0Last 12 Months0Last 6 weeks0 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteeReaderPDF

The foundations for research and action in the area of group work are examined. Four alternative “world views” are presented. One of these, contextualism, is discussed in depth. Its methodological consequences for research and implications for reform of group meetings are explored.

A unified approach to improved usability can be identified in the works of Gilb (1981, 1984), Shackel (1984), Bennett (1984), Carroll and Rosson (1985), and Butler (1985). We term this approach “usability engineering,” and seek to contribute to it by showing, via a product development case study, how user-derived estimates of the impact of design activities on engineering goals may be made.1

It has become a common recommendation to computer interface designers that they should “Know the User” (e.g., Rubinstein and Hersh, 1984). This panel discussion will examine the issues that arise from this advice.

Human factors psychologists contribute in many ways to improving human-computer interaction. One contribution involves evaluating existing or prototype systems, in order to assess usability and identify problems. Another involves contributing more directly to the design of systems in the first place: that is, not only evaluating systems but bringing to bear empirical methods and theoretical considerations that help specify what are plausible designs in the first place. The goal of this panel is to discuss four case studies emphasizing this role of cognitive human factors, and identify relevant methods and theoretical considerations.

Performance and subjective reactions of 76 users of varying levels of computer experience were measured with 7 different interfaces representing command, menu, and iconic interface styles. The results suggest three general conclusions:

The focus here is on the lessons learned from the UDI project for building usability into the software development process. In the UDI project we attempted to engineer a usable system. That process involved:

A measurably easy-to-use interface has been built using a novel technique. Novices attempted an electronic mail task using a command-line interface containing no help, no menus, no documentation, and no instruction. A hidden operator intercepted commands when necessary, creating the illusion of a true interactive session. The software was repeatedly revised to recognize users' new commands; in essence, the users defined the interface. This procedure was used on 67 subjects. The first version of the software could recognize only 7% of all the subjects' spontaneously generated commands; the final version could recognize 76% of those commands. This experience contradicts the idea that people are not good at designing their own command languages. Through careful observation and analysis of user behavior, a mail interface unusable by novices evolved into one that let novices do useful work within minutes.