Dynamic versus static menus: an exploratory comparison

ABSTRACT

Sixty-three subjects completed 24 tasks using a menu driven computer program. The menu items appeared in a fixed (static) order during 12 of the tasks. During the other 12 tasks the menu item order changed dynamically such that the most frequently selected items always appeared at the top of the menu. All the subjects tried both dynamic and static menus.The subjects that used adaptive dynamic menus for the first set of tasks were significantly slower than those who used static menus on the first set of tasks. Subjects' performance during the second set of tasks was not affected by menu style. Eighty-one percent of the subjects preferred working with static menus to working with dynamic menus.

REFERENCES

• 1: Chin, J. P. "A Dynamic User Adaptable Menu System: Linking it all together". <i>Tech. Report CS-TR-2120 Department of Computer Science</i>, University of Maryland at College Park (October 1988).
• 2: John P. Chin , Virginia A. Diehl , Kent L. Norman, Development of an instrument measuring user satisfaction of the human-computer interface, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, p.213-218, May 15-19, 1988, Washington, D.C., United States [doi>10.1145/57167.57203]
• 3: Norcio, A. F. and Stanley, J. "Adaptive Human-Computer Interfaces". <i>NRL Report 9148</i> Naval Research Laboratory (Sept. 30, 1988).
• 4: Ben Shneiderman, Designing the user interface (2nd ed.): strategies for effective human-computer interaction, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1992

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques
          Subjects: User interfaces

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Measurement, Performance