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Lucy M. Eccles

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Publications by Lucy M. Eccles (bibliography)

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1986
 
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Hitch, G. J., Sutcliffe, Alistair G., Bowers, John and Eccles, Lucy M. (1986): Empirical Evaluation of Map Interfaces: A Preliminary Study. In: Harrison, Michael D. and Monk, Andrew (eds.) Proceedings of the Second Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers II August 23-26, 1986, University of York, UK. pp. 565-585.

The use of spatial maps as human computer interfaces has been described by Sutcliffe (1985) who demonstrated, using the keystroke model of human performance (Card, Moran and Newell, 1980), that maps should have an operational advantage over menus. This paper reports an empirical evaluation of the use of menu and map interfaces to retrieve information from a hierarchically organized geographical database. Two task variables were manipulated; amount of practice and the provision of retrieval cues in the search query. The importance of the compatibility between the physical layout of the map and the organization of the user's knowledge was investigated by comparing performance with a "geographical" and a "random" map Search was slower and more error prone with a menu interface at all stages of practice, the advantage to map interfaces being greatest when there were no retrieval cues to assist search. The geographical map was no more efficient than the random one when users were totally naive; however, it became the more efficient of the two as a result of practice. These findings are discussed in relation to limitations on the practical utility of the keystroke model in predictive evaluation, and in terms of the ease and flexibility of user search processes guided by map interfaces.

© All rights reserved Hitch et al. and/or Cambridge University Press

 
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Jun 19

... there are no simple 'right' answers for most web design questions (at least not for the important ones). What works is good, integrated design that fills a need--carefully thought out, well executed, and tested.

-- Steve Krug, Don't Make Me Think, p. 136

 
 

Featured chapter

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

Read Steve's chapter !

 
 

Latest books

The Social Design of Technical Systems: Building technologies for communities
by Brian Whitworth and Adnan Ahmad

 
Start reading

The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction, 2nd Ed.
by Mads Soegaard and Rikke Friis Dam

 
Start reading
 
 

Help us help you!