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Bruce C. Nelson

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Publications by Bruce C. Nelson (bibliography)

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1990
 
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Nelson, Bruce C. and Smith, Thomas J. (1990): User Interaction with Maintenance Information: A Performance Analysis of Hypertext versus Hard Copy Formats. In: D., Woods, and E., Roth, (eds.) Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 34th Annual Meeting 1990, Santa Monica, USA. pp. 229-233.

Four different formats of an existing mining equipment repair manual were prepared for comparative human performance test: (1) original hard copy text; (2) improved hard copy text with enhanced readability and indexing features; (3) computerized (hypertext) version of original text; and (4) hypertext version of improved text with interactive help features. Students in a diesel mechanics class (n=55) then were tested for proficiency in accessing and understanding information presented in these different formats. The results indicate that: (1) although the users accessed the information less quickly using the computer compared with hard copy, they positively endorsed computerized hypertext presentation of maintenance information; and (2) enhanced text readability and indexing improve access to and understanding of maintenance information, but this improvement was not subjectively appreciated by the users relative to other manuals they had used. This text indicates that change to computerized maintenance manuals should be made cautiously, and that more research is needed to measure different hypertext design and training factors.

© All rights reserved Nelson and Smith and/or Human Factors Society

 
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May 25

Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.

-- Alfred North Whitehead

 
 

Featured chapter

Read the fascinating history of Wearable Computing, told by its father, Steve Mann

Read Steve's chapter !

 
 

Help us help you!