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Graphical User Interface Performance
Description
Ben Bederson
Abstract:
Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) on computers are used by a wide variety of people for a
wide variety of tasks on a wide variety of platforms. Our research goal is to understand
how people use GUIs, how well they use them, and what the best designs to support users
are. For each specific problem, we design a few similar GUIs where we modify one
design element, and then we evaluate how people perform using the comparable GUIs.
We measure performance speed and accuracy as well as subjective preference through
interviews and questionnaires. We also track precisely how people use the interface by
automatically capturing their hand motion in real-time using, for example, the trace of the
mouse path as the hand moves the mouse. By this careful investigative approach, we can
develop a better understanding of what design elements of GUIs are most effective, and
what their trade-offs are.
Subject Selection:
a) During this project, we will recruit adult volunteers from UMD with average computer
knowledge (from computer science or other departments). While we are uncertain about
the exact number of studies to be run during this project, we are expecting up to 6 studies
a year, with each study requiring anywhere from 12 to 120 subjects. Subjects will be
enlisted either by announcements in class or flyers (example attached). Subjects will
receive either $0 or $10 dollars or snack for their participation.
b) Children between the ages of 6 and 12 will be recruited from a local school to
participate. No computer experience, sex or other selection criteria will be used to recruit
the children. We are still negotiating with schools and do not yet know which school(s)
we will work with. In addition to following UMD IRB rules, we will also follow
whatever rules are required by the schools we work with. Children will be selected by
their teachers and will not be financially compensated. In order to participate in the
study, each child must check a box and write their name in the attached assent form. In
addition, each child’s parent must sign an attached parental permission form before the
child can participate in the study.
Procedures:
The subjects will first sign a consent form (or assent form if they are a child), before
receiving a brief demonstration of the interface being tested. Once the demonstration is
completed, they will proceed with a training session during which they will familiarize
themselves with the interface under study, before conducting the experiment.
This interface might consist of one of the following:
An office domain application (such as a drawing application, a word processor, or
a spreadsheet application) used by the subject to perform common tasks such as
drawing, editing a document, or reading a long document. These tasks will be
carried out using a variety of interaction techniques under test.
Information visualization application (such as large tree or large graph
visualization tools) used by the subject to identify a particular feature of the
dataset under study. For example, the subject might be asked to find and highlight
differences between two graphs presented on the screen.
Information retrieval application (such as digital library or search interface) used
by the subject to look for information.
Subjects will be interacting with a standard desktop, laptop, tablet or PDA computer by
using a mouse, a pen, their fingers (on a touch screen) or a combination. For
measurement accuracy, they might be asked to repeat a similar task several times. The
software will be instrumented to record hand motion, mouse clicks, and all other
interaction with the software.
Subjects may be asked to use a single GUI design or multiple designs within a single
session. Subjects may also be asked to return within a short period (1-2 weeks) so we can
test more designs or to see how a design works upon repeated use. In this case, we will
record a unique number with their recorded data to correlate the multiple sessions. This
unique number will be written with their names on paper during the study for the sole
purpose of being able to re-enter the subject ID on their return. After their final
participation, the paper that holds the correlation between the subject’s name and ID will
be destroyed.
During the study, subjects may be asked to describe what they think about the interface as
they use it.
At the end of the study, subjects will fill out a questionnaire or will be interviewed. The
queries will cover background information (such as computer usage, previous knowledge
of the technique used, etc) as well as questions about the interface they just used (sample
attached). The study will take less than 60 minutes (less than 30 minutes for children),
including the training and questionnaires or interviews. General comments about the
interfaces will also be collected.
The subjects can choose to stop performing the tasks at anytime they want, and in the
case of a study with multiple sessions, they can choose to not return for a follow-up
session.
Risks and Benefits:
There are minimal risks involved in this project. All equipment to be used is standard
commercial off-the-shelf equipment. All interfaces are typical of current freely available
systems. The experiment requires less than one hour of voluntary computer usage similar
Graphical User Interface Performance Questionnaire
(Draft)
Age................ Sex............ Date:...........................
Background information
1 How long have you been using a computer?
less than a year
about one to five years
about five to ten years
more than ten years
Comment? ........................................................................................................................
2 How long do you use a computer each week?
one hour or less (0 - 60 minutes)
about a day’s work per week (1 - 8 hours)
more than a days work (8 - 30 hours)
all day, every week(more than 30 hours)
Comment? ........................................................................................................................
Design A
3 How did you like using design A?
Not at all Very much Comment? ........................................................................................................................
4 How fast was design A?
Very slow Very fast Comment? ........................................................................................................................
5 How error prone was design A?
Not at all Very much Comment? ........................................................................................................................
6 How comfortable was design A?
Not at all Very much Comment? ........................................................................................................................
Example of Flyer
(Draft)
The department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park is
recruiting subjects to study the performance of computer Graphical User Interfaces. The
study involves doing everyday office activities on a computer, and answering some
questions about your background and experience using the interfaces. All of your
answers will be kept completely confidential.
Eligible subjects receive $10 as payment for less than 60 minutes of their time.
If you would like to help us by participating in this research, please call
(301) 405-2764 or send an email to [email protected]
Please pass this message on to anyone you believe would be interested in participating.
Graphical User Interface Performance
Informed Consent Form
DESCRIPTION : You are invited to participate in a research study on the performance of different designs within graphical user interfaces.
PROCEDURE : You will be asked to perform common computer tasks (such as performing simple commands, navigating within a document, or looking for information). During the session, audio/video taping may take place. Your interactions with the computer will be logged for analysis purposes. This information will not be disclosed to others and the data will be discarded after the study is over.
RISKS AND BENEFITS : There are no known risks associated with participation in this study. The benefits that may reasonably be expected to result from this study are better human computer interaction techniques as well as better information visualization techniques. This research is not designed to benefit you personally.
TIME INVOLVEMENT : Your participation in this experiment should take no longer than one hour.
PAYMENTS : You will receive no payment for your participation.
SUBJECT'S RIGHTS : If you have read this form and have decided to participate in this project, please understand that your participation is voluntary and you have the right to withdraw your consent or discontinue participation at any time without penalty. You have the right to refuse to answer particular questions, and you may ask any question you wish. Your individual privacy will be maintained in all published and written data resulting from the study. If you have questions about your rights as a study subject, are dissatisfied at any time with any aspect of this study, or wish to report a research-related injury, please contact - anonymously, if you wish – the Institutional Review Board Office, 2100 Lee Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA (e-mail: [email protected], telephone: 301-405-0678).
I state that I am over 18 years of age and wish to participate in a program of research being conducted by Benjamin Bederson at the University of Maryland, College Park (Tel: (301) 405- 2764, email: [email protected]).
I give consent to be videotaped during this study: (please initial): __ Yes __ No
I give consent for video tapes resulting from this study to be shown at scientific meetings: (please initial): __ Yes __ No
Consent for use of the videotapes by the investigators, or consent for videotapes to be shown at scientific meetings can be withdrawn at any time in the future by contacting the investigator.
SIGNATURE _____________________________ DATE ____________
Name (PRINT) ____________________________
Approval Date: Expiration Date:
Graphical User Interface Performance
Informed Consent Form
DESCRIPTION : You are invited to participate in a research study on the performance of different designs within graphical user interfaces.
PROCEDURE : You will be asked to perform common computer tasks (such as performing simple commands, navigating within a document, or looking for information). During the session, audio/video taping may take place. Your interactions with the computer will be logged for analysis purposes. This information will not be disclosed to others and the data will be discarded after the study is over.
RISKS AND BENEFITS : There are no known risks associated with participation in this study. The benefits that may reasonably be expected to result from this study are better human computer interaction techniques as well as better information visualization techniques. This research is not designed to benefit you personally.
TIME INVOLVEMENT : Your participation in this experiment should take no longer than one hour.
PAYMENTS : You will receive a small snack and drink for your participation.
SUBJECT'S RIGHTS : If you have read this form and have decided to participate in this project, please understand that your participation is voluntary and you have the right to withdraw your consent or discontinue participation at any time without penalty. You have the right to refuse to answer particular questions, and you may ask any question you wish. Your individual privacy will be maintained in all published and written data resulting from the study. If you have questions about your rights as a study subject, are dissatisfied at any time with any aspect of this study, or wish to report a research-related injury, please contact - anonymously, if you wish – the Institutional Review Board Office, 2100 Lee Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA (e-mail: [email protected], telephone: 301-405-0678).
I state that I am over 18 years of age and wish to participate in a program of research being conducted by Benjamin Bederson at the University of Maryland, College Park (Tel: (301) 405- 2764, email: [email protected]).
I give consent to be videotaped during this study: (please initial): __ Yes __ No
I give consent for video tapes resulting from this study to be shown at scientific meetings: (please initial): __ Yes __ No
Consent for use of the videotapes by the investigators, or consent for videotapes to be shown at scientific meetings can be withdrawn at any time in the future by contacting the investigator.
SIGNATURE _____________________________ DATE ____________
Name (PRINT) ____________________________
Approval Date: Expiration Date:
Graphical User Interface Performance
Parental Permission Form
DESCRIPTION : Your child is invited to participate in a research study on the performance of different designs within graphical user interfaces.
PROCEDURE : Your child will be asked to perform common computer tasks (such as performing simple commands, navigating within a document, or looking for information). Your child’s interactions with the computer will be logged for analysis purposes. This information will not be disclosed to others and the data will be discarded after the study is over.
RISKS AND BENEFITS : There are no known risks associated with participation in this study. The benefits that may reasonably be expected to result from this study are better designs of computer programs that your child can use for educational or entertainment purposes. This research is not designed to benefit your child personally.
TIME INVOLVEMENT : Your child’s participation in this experiment should take no longer than 30 minutes.
PAYMENTS : Your child will receive no financial compensation for participation in this study.
SUBJECT'S RIGHTS : If you have read this form and have decided that your child can participate in this project, please understand that their participation is voluntary and your child has the right to withdraw consent or discontinue participation at any time without penalty. Your child has the right to refuse to answer particular questions, and may ask any question they wish. Their individual privacy will be maintained in all published and written data resulting from the study. If you have questions about your child’s rights as a study subject, are dissatisfied at any time with any aspect of this study, or wish to report a research-related injury, please contact - anonymously, if you wish – the Institutional Review Board Office, 2100 Lee Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA (e-mail: [email protected], telephone: 301-405- 0678).
I state that I am over 18 years of age, and wish my child to participate in a program of research being conducted by Benjamin Bederson at the University of Maryland, College Park (Tel: (301) 405-2764, email: [email protected]).
CHILD’s Name ____________________
PARENT SIGNATURE _____________________________ DATE ____________
PARENT NAME (PRINT) ____________________________
Approval Date: Expiration Date:
