Skilled Use of Computer Software: Implications for Training and Design.
Abstract
This research had two goals: to work toward developing a comprehensive cognitive theory of human-computer interaction, both learning and performance, and to develop methods for designers to apply this knowledge to the design of new software and its training. The researchers compare the actual moment-by-moment activity of users of software with predictions from a model, leading to extensions of the model and additional rounds of empirical testing. At the end of the project, more was understood about the development of expertise in people who use software, focusing in particular on how people build on what they know already when they encounter a new application. In the second methodology, designers follow concrete, well-specified steps that guide them through a set of analyses--first of the users' tasks, and then highlighting aspects of the target system that the model tells us may prove difficult for the user to learn or perform. The researchers conclude with an attempt to develop methods for designers to help them assess how long it will take to learn the software, based both on the complexity of the software and how much the learner already knows.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA328492
Entities
People
- Judith Olson
- Peter Polson
Organizations
- University of Michigan