Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!watdragon!dahlia!rmpinchback
From: rmpinchback@dahlia.waterloo.edu (Reid M. Pinchback)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: introducing use of a mouse
Summary: Interactive nature of mouse, direct feedback to the user
Keywords: mouse user interface interaction devices human factors
Message-ID: <6210@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 4 Apr 88 21:52:28 GMT
References: <987@pbhyc.PacBell.COM>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: rmpinchback@dahlia.waterloo.edu (Reid M. Pinchback)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 73

In article <987@pbhyc.PacBell.COM> ria@pbhyc.PacBell.COM (Rich Anderson) writes:
>
>Let's say you were planning to introduce sophisticated workstations (each
>with a mouse) to people with experience with dumb(er) terminals only.
>
>What would you say are key steps that need to be taken to enable these
>people to readily understand and effectively use a mouse?
>
   Having grown up in the batch-oriented and dumb-terminalled mainframe
era, I think I understand the shift your users will experience.  There is
a qualitative difference to use of workstations and electro/opto-mechanical
peripherals.  A user can, if able to overcome psychological barriers,
experience more feedback and a greater sense of control over the operations
of the computer.

   Since the CS department here has been experimenting with various approaches
to introductory material, I'll see if I can extrapolate some of the apparent
results to your case.  

   An initial battery of small, pre-programmed learning tasks seems to be very
effective at initiating people into use of the new (and unfamiliar) enviroment.
However, as in most educational situations, you will have a group of people
that grasp the concepts very quickly, and will be bored silly... its a
trade-off of sorts, but very effective for those with little or no prior
background in the subject being taught.

   Some informal idea-hashing of the students has led us to a few ideas that
can help people overcome the psychological blocks that unfamiliarity can
create.  As these ideas relate to your situation, you could consider two types
of software that would allow people to relate their own physical movements to
the process of using a mouse. 

   The first kind of software would be that of games with a spatial orientation,
such as those requiring movement of pieces on a visual board.  Examples would be
chess, empire, xconq.  Hokey as this may sound, almost anybody will put forth
the effort to learn a game when they wouldn't make even a fraction of the same
effort for drier material.  The task that is learned at this stage is a basic
psycho-motor task.  In order to accomplish a visible result (the feedback),
I must learn to move the mouse in analogous ways in the physical world.  With
practise, I learn the association between my physical behaviour and the
resultant visual behaviour of the workstation.

   The second kind of software would be the class of image-manipulation
packages, such as painting programs, WYSIWYG editors/word processors.  In other
words, anything with a cut-and-paste, icon-manipulation method of interaction.
This provides the person with experience of a more abstract effect from 
interaction with the mouse.  Now the mouse has become a tool for the execution
of more general operations, and I can learn the association between my
physical behaviour and more complicated operations of the workstation.

   Having said this, these are surmises and guesses based on what we have seen
in the way 1st-year students are handling unfamiliar material.  I have 
extrapolated our concerns (learning of programming and machine concepts) to
your case.
                                                                    
>What case/research studies or training materials exist that can be 
>consulted/used to facilitate transition to sophisticated equipment?
>                                                                   

   Though I haven't seen studies of mouse-use per se, there are some psych-  
ological studies on the design of both simple and complex tools (very recent
work), and a massive amount of literature on psychological resistance problems
in learning computer use, particularly within a business environment.

   Hope this gives some ideas.  Once you've come up with a course design,
maybe you could post the results, let us know how well the students fared with
your approach.

  


        Reid M. Pinchback
        -----------------