Commentary on: "Little Machines: Understanding Users Understanding Interfaces"

ABSTRACT

Online materials, as Johnson-Eilola points out, too often provide speed but neither learning nor conceptual information. Minimum information is often provided in help systems because there are no resources to provide more. But the result is often a system that, without any conceptual information, provides little more than help that is so obvious that it ceases to be helpful. Even when resources are constrained, help systems should, at a minimum, refer to external sources that can help users with important concepts behind the tasks they are trying to perform.

REFERENCES

• 1: Bayer, Samuel, Robyn Kozierok, Jeffrey Kurtz (1995), Multimodal interfaces on the web, 1995. Available at http://www.python.org/workshops/1995-12/bayer/python-paper.html.
• 2: George W. Furnas , Benjamin B. Bederson, Space-scale diagrams: understanding multiscale interfaces, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, p.234-241, May 07-11, 1995, Denver, Colorado, United States [doi>10.1145/223904.223934]
• 3: R. S. Kalawsky , S. T. Bee , S. P. Nee, Human Factors Evaluation Techniques to Aid Understanding of Virtual Interfaces, BT Technology Journal, v.17 n.1, p.128-141, January 1999 [doi>10.1023/A:1009687227736]
• 4: Twidale, M. B., Redressing the balance: the advantages of informal evaluation techniques for Intelligent Learning Environments, Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 4 (2/3) 155-178, 1993.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Training, help, and documentation

Keywords:
documentation, online help, user interface