Colloquium Details
Why people don't use help
| Author: | David Novick University of Texas at El Paso |
|---|---|
| Date: | October 16, 2009 |
| Time: | 14:00 |
| Location: | 220 Deschutes |
| Host: | Sarah Douglas |
Abstract
Users of help systems often complain that they do not find the help useful; while they still use help at least occasionally, they usually resort to other problem-solving strategies. To see whether, from the user's standpoint, muddling through with trial-and-error exploration of the interface actually works as well as consulting help, Oscar Andrade, Nate Bean and I analyzed video recordings of subjects using Microsoft Publisher. The subjects' overall rates of success with trial-and-error were higher than with help. We identified (1) transition patterns among problem-solving approaches, and (2) the frequency of these transitions. Our analysis indicates that people switch frequently between consulting help and exploring the interface. Switching between problem-solving approaches appears to be an effective way of succeeding in tasks. Applications and their help systems can be better designed to support users who switch between help and non-help approaches to solving problems.
Biography
David Novick is the AT&T Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at El Paso. He earned B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, and a J.D. from Harvard University. At UTEP, he served as department chair and as associate provost. His research focuses on interactive systems, and especially (a) development methods for interfaces and their documentation and (b) models of conversation. He has published more than 60 refereed journal articles and conference papers and has authored and co-authored grants and contracts totaling over $14 million.