Human factors testing in the design of Xerox's 8010 “Star” office workstation

ABSTRACT

Integral to the design process of the Xerox 8010 “Star” workstation was constant concern for the user interface. The design was driven by principles of human cognition. Prototyping of ideas, paper-and-pencil analyses, and human-factors experiments with potential users all aided in making design decisions. Three of the human-factors experiments are described in this paper: A selection schemes test determined the number of buttons on the mouse pointing device and the meanings of these buttons for doing text selection. An icon test showed us the significant parameters in the shapes of objects on the display screen. A graphics test evaluated the user interface for making line drawings, and resulted in a redesign of that interface.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
      H.4.1 Office Automation

          Nouns: Star

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Software psychology; Human factors
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
      H.4.1 Office Automation

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Performance