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From: perlman@wanginst.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: abstract on "Designing Menu Format to Match Input Device Format"
Message-ID: <858@wanginst.EDU>
Date: Mon, 23-Feb-87 01:42:54 EST
Article-I.D.: wanginst.858
Posted: Mon Feb 23 01:42:54 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Feb-87 22:34:30 EST
Organization: Wang Institute, Tyngsboro, MA 01879 USA
Lines: 31
Keywords: user interface design
Xref: utgpu comp.cog-eng:69 comp.sys.ibm.pc:1896


The paper described in the following abstract can be obtained by
sending me your mailing address.  Please use the following format.

	Gary Perlman
	School of Information Technology
	Wang Institute of Graduate Studies
	Tyng Road
	Tyngsboro, MA 01879 USA


          Designing Menu Format to Match Input Device Format
                    Leo C. Sherwin & Gary Perlman
                  Wang Institute Of Graduate Studies
                  Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 01879 USA

                               Abstract

We report the results of an experiment designed to measure the effects
of modeling menu format to match the format of input devices. 
Subjects were presented with menus in layouts of varying compatibility
with two common input devices: IBM PC function keys in a matrix format
and the digit keys at the top of standard keyboards.  The results
showed that the better the match between formats of menus and devices,
the lower the selection times.  Guidelines for the design of displays
suggest that the best way to show items is in a vertical sorted list,
which is incompatible with the format of IBM function keys; an
unfortunate incompatibility found in close to five million keyboards. 
-- 
Gary Perlman  Wang Institute  Tyngsboro, MA 01879  (617) 649-9731
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