Cognitive engineering

Advances in user interface design have made it possible to improve the effectiveness of complex software tools. This study explores the feasibility of improving user performance on a manpower-planning task by employing a user coach. A user coach is a software aid, often built directly into software applications, that assists the user at critical stages. The user coach developed for this project closely resembles the "wizards" that are commonly used in commercial software today. The user coach was applied to a software application known as SKIPPER, a manpower modeling tool employed by the Department of the Navy to plan and manage the enlisted personnel. In addition to procedural assistance, the coach also provides a visual picture of the planning process based on a hydraulic metaphor (e.g., manpower planning as a series of holding tanks, faucets, pipes, valves, etc.). This article describes the user coach, and documents a formal evaluation of its effectiveness. The evaluation compared the use and understan...

An Analysis of the Performance and Usability of a Software User Coach for Navy Manpower Planning

: This research project explored the feasibility of improving user performance on manpower planning tasks by employing a "user coach." A user coach is a software aid, often built directly into software applications, that assists the user at critical stages. The user coach developed for this project closely resembles the "wizards" that are commonly used in commercial software today. The user coach was applied to a software tool known as SKIPPER, a manpower modeling tool that is employed by the Enlisted Community Managers (ECMs) at the Bureau of Navy Personnel (BUPERS). This report describes the user coach and documents a formal evaluation of its effectiveness. The evaluation compared the use and understanding of SKIPPER (1) with the coach, (2) with the coach and a visual metaphor (a hydraulic system representation of the enlisted personnel system), and (3) without the coach or the metaphor. All users (experienced and inexperienced) were able to complete their manpower plans significantly faster using the coach than using SKIPPER unaided. Neither performance on the manpower planning task, nor the user's understanding of the task, was influenced by providing a visual picture of the process. It appears that users found the procedural "what to do" aids useful, but aids designed to help the user understand the purpose and dynamics "why do it" of the task were not effective.

Barbara Freeman

Papers

An Analysis of the Performance and Usability of a Software User Coach for Navy Manpower Planning

Evaluation of a Software User Coach for Manpower Planning