Thesis (DDes) - Faculty of Design, Swinburne University of Technology, 2008. / Submitted in fulfillment [of the requirements of the degree of] Doctor of Philosophy, [Faculty of Design], Swinburne University of Technology - 2008. Typescript. Bibliography: p. 355-369.

Thesis (MA--Art and Design) -- Auckland University of Technology.

The purpose of this research was to provide evidence to support specific features of a software user interface implementation. A 3 x 2 x 2 full factorial, between subjects design was employed, in a laboratory experiment systematically varying existence or non-existence of a user interface and media of help documentation (either online or written), while blocking for varying levels of user experience. Subjects completed a set of tasks using a computer, so the experimenters could collect and evaluate various performance and attitudinal measures. Several attitudinal measures were developed and validated as part of this research. Consistent with previous findings, this research found that a user's previous level of experience in using a computer had a significant impact on their performance measures. Specifically, increased levels of user experience were associated with reduced time to complete the tasks, fewer number of characters typed, fewer references to help documentation, and fewer requests for human assistance. In addition, increased levels of user experience were generally associated with higher levels of attitudinal measures (general attitude toward computers and satisfaction with their experiment performance). The existence of a user interface had a positive impact on task performance across all levels of user experience. Although experienced users were not more satisfied with the user interface than without it, their performance was better. This contrasts with at least some previous findings that suggest experienced users are more efficient without a menu-driven user interface. The use of online documentation, as opposed to written, had a significant negative impact on task performance. Specifically, users required more time, made more references to the help documentation, and required more human assistance. However, these users generally indicated attitudinal measures (satisfied) that were as high with online as written documentation. There was a strong interaction between the user interface and online documentation for the task performance measures. This research concludes that a set of tasks can be performed in significantly less time when online documentation is facilitated by the presence of a user interface. Written documentation users seemed to perform equivalently with or without the user interface. With online documentation the user interface became crucial to task performance. Research implications are presented for practitioners, designers and researchers.

Current research in screen design for human computer interaction has demonstrated that user task performance is influenced by placement, prompting methodology, and screen complexity. To assess the difference between a grouped item screen prompt and a series of single item screen prompts, a field experiment in a semiconductor manufacturing facility was designed. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups to use a data entry system. Seven of the screen prompts differed between the two groups. During the four weeks of the study, a significant difference was measured between groups. The group screen users had lower task times for all four weeks. No significant correlation exists between work experience, performance review scores, or designated work shift. A strong negative correlation exists between frequency of system usage and task time. No difference was noted for measured errors. Subjective scores significantly favored the group screen design.

Streaming media and interactive television viewing experiences are becoming more commonplace with the introduction of services such as Netflix Streaming, the Apple TV, and Google TV aided by the increase adoption of broadband internet. As these services make their way into the living room, and developers struggle to accommodate more complex interaction requirements, new input methods and interfaces need to be developed. Current interfaces for controlling interactive TV and media management have typically been designed for the desktop and laptop experience, using conventional input devices like a trackpad, mouse and keyboard. These techniques are difficult to reconcile with the typical TV viewing experience. We designed an experiment to test a representative interactive TV interface with a number of emerging input technologies like the Nintendo Wiimote, Microsoft Kinect and tablet applications. We measured user performance with these devices while encumbered by a beverage and plate of food in order to simulate a living room experience. We found that while most of these technologies are suitable for navigating an Interactive TV experience, their use challenges us to rethink the user experience, and places limitations on things like button size and placement, as well as the types of UI widgets we can use. We hope these guidelines and heuristics will help in the design of future interactive TV experiences, as well as the development of novel interaction techniques for the TV viewing experience. / Graduation date: 2012 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from June 19, 2012 - June 19, 2013

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2006. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-198). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-152).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2001. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 86 p.; also contains graphics. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 85).

Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2002. / Title from title page of source document. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.