Showing papers by "Keith S. Jones published in 2004"
01 Sep 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employed recognition and guided recall tasks to assess the efficacy of web writing styles in a distance education context and found that combined writing aggregates characteristics from the objective, concise, and scannable styles.
Abstract: How can distance educators format materials so that they maximize usability and optimize learning? Several web-writing characteristics have been identified that address these questions. “Objective” writing, most analogous to educational text, presents information without exaggerations or boasting. “Concise” and “scannable” writing omit superfluous information and support visual scanning by highlighting key features, respectively. “Combined” writing aggregates characteristics from the objective, concise, and scannable styles. Previous research suggests that, in contrast to results from the commercial domain, these writing styles do not influence memory of distance education materials. This discrepancy is possibly due to measurement differences. To address this issue, the present study employed recognition (i.e., multiple-choice) and guided recall (i.e., fill-in-the-blank) tasks in order to assess the efficacy of the writing styles in a distance education context. The results, however, confirmed the earlier...
2 citations
01 Sep 2004
TL;DR: For example, Walker et al. as discussed by the authors found that only 50% of the participants who were unaware of the presence of the impenetrable border actually detected it, compared to 75% of those who were successful at detecting it.
Abstract: Placing menus against the edge of the screen reduces selection times because it creates an impenetrable border between the menu and the edge of the screen that the mouse cursor cannot penetrate (Walker, Smelcer, & Nilsen, 1991). The presence of the impenetrable border changes how users move the mouse, so that selection times quicken compared to menus with a penetrable border. However, it is not readily apparent whether or not GUI users could realize the advantages of impenetrable borders without instruction. The purpose of this experiment was to assess whether or not users would discover the benefits of impenetrable borders spontaneously. Results suggest that only 50% of participants who were unaware of the presence of the impenetrable border actually detected it. Additionally, with practice participants who were successful at detecting the impenetrable border selected the targets as quickly as participants who received full instruction concerning the benefits of impenetrable borders.
1 citations
01 Sep 2004
TL;DR: Neisser's perceptual cycle, which unifies research on action, perception, and cognition, is used as a framework for a human-web interaction (HuWI) cycle that assumes that while users interact with a website, they sample only goal-relevant information from the website.
Abstract: Since its inception, the World Wide Web has flourished. While advances have been made in the general area of web usability, little attention has been paid to developing theories of human-web interaction. Accordingly, Neisser's (1976) perceptual cycle, which unifies research on action, perception, and cognition, is used as a framework for a human-web interaction (HuWI) cycle. The HuWI cycle assumes that while users interact with a website, in order to locate certain pieces of information, they sample only goal-relevant information from the website. Users then modify their knowledge of the system, based on the goal-relevant information that was acquired. This newly modified system knowledge then directs their interaction further.
1 citations
01 Sep 2004
TL;DR: The results confirmed that targets with impenetrable borders were selected faster than targets without impenettable borders and that participants demonstrated consistent reductions in selection time over sessions, regardless of the target type.
Abstract: Previous research demonstrated that interface elements could be selected faster when placed against the edge of the screen. Doing so creates an impenetrable border between the element and the edge of the screen that the mouse cursor cannot penetrate. This changes how users move the mouse, so that selection quickens. This study investigated the effect of practice on the acquisition of targets with and without impenetrable borders. Ten participants selected targets that varied in Target Type (with or without impenetrable borders), and Distance (.5, 3.5, 6.5, 9.5, and 12.5 cm) across five Practice Sessions. The results confirmed that targets with impenetrable borders were selected faster than targets without impenetrable borders and that participants demonstrated consistent reductions in selection time over sessions, regardless of the target type. In addition, excessive practice was not necessary to demonstrate target type differences; thus the advantage of having impenetrable borders seems to be relatively ...
1 citations
01 Sep 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed the Human-Web Interaction Cycle, which predicts that system knowledge (i.e., one's knowledge base) will direct interaction with a website, system knowledge will be modified by the user's interaction with the website, and only goal-relevant information should be attended to during these interactions.
Abstract: Farris (2003) proposed the Human-Web Interaction (HuWI) cycle, which predicts that 1) system knowledge (i.e., one's knowledge base) will direct interaction with a website, 2) system knowledge will be modified by the user's interaction with the website, and 3) only goal-relevant information should be attended to during these interactions. This paper describes two experiments that tested these three predictions. In Experiment 1, performance was worse when participants' system knowledge was inconsistent with a website, which suggests that system knowledge was directing interaction with the website. In addition, participants tested for knowledge of the content before and after interacting with the website demonstrated higher posttest scores than pretest scores, which indicates that system knowledge was modified by interacting with the website. In Experiment 2, participants attended primarily to goal-relevant information, if the goal pertained to content. These findings generally support the validity of the Hu...
1 citations