The touch mouse is a new type of computer mouse that provides users with a new way of touch-based environment to interact with computers. For more than a decade, user experience (UX) has grown into a core concept of human-computer interaction (HCI), describing a user's perceptions and responses that result from the use of a product in a particular…

Presents a theoretical framework for navigation in information retrieval systems and describes a prototype retrieval system that was developed to investigate navigation. The use of a visual interface in a spatial representation scheme is described, and results of a user-based evaluation of the system are reported. User questionnaires are appended.…

Focuses on manager behavior within a business environment related to the classification, storage and retrieval of electronic mail messages. Discusses bibliographic control and classification theory; characteristics of managers and personal constructs; the user-system context; and the use of technology to categorize and filter e-mail messages. The…

Describes the scope, objectives, and status of a study of user responses to public online catalogs conducted in 1982 with Council on Library Resources (CLR) funding. The framework for evaluating the user-catalog interface, data collection, and questionnaire content are discussed, and a copy of the survey questionnaire is appended. (Author/JL)

An exploration of the rhetorical contract--i.e., the expectations for appropriate interaction--as it develops in human-computer interaction revealed that direct manipulation interfaces were more likely to establish social expectations. Study results suggest that the social nature of human-computer interactions can be examined with reference to the…

Describes a study that compared the effectiveness of screen designs for system interfaces by tallying keyboarding errors during online searches. The methodology is described as an unobtrusive means for obtaining objective and empirically based data for interface comparisons. A questionnaire used to determine users' reactions to screen designs is…

A study was devised, using 20 undergraduate students chosen at random from an introductory psychology course, to measure the teaching effectiveness of two computer tutorials oriented to the spreadsheet portion of Appleworks. The first tutorial provided a data disk with pre-entered data for the user to manipulate, but no error correction…

Describes a study of undergraduates that was conducted to determine students' preferences toward Graphical User Interface versus Command Line Interface during computer-assisted instruction. Previous experience, comfort level, performance scores, and student attitudes are examined and compared, and the computer use survey is appended. (Contains 13…

The current attitudes of users and non-users towards public online computer catalogs (OPAC's) were studied at the Library of Congress (LC) and responses were compared with those from an aggregate survey. Attitudes of both users and non-users toward the LC OPAC system were favorable. Problems experienced by patrons related to difficulty in…

The Subject Access Research Project was initiated by OCLC in August 1979 to study the process of subject searching in the library catalog, with the objective of identifying features for an automated subject retrieval system which would support the present search tactics employed by library users performing manual subject searches at the library…

Reports on the Online Catalog Public Access Project, a survey of users and nonusers in 31 U.S. libraries conducted for the Council on Library Resources. Characteristics of users, tasks, library setting, and system interface that affect user satisfaction are identified. A 25-item bibliography and user questionnaire are appended. (7 references) (EJS)

A national study of users and non-users of public access online catalog systems (OPACs) was undertaken at 29 libraries, representing 15 computer systems, to provide data and interpretations useful to system designers and library administrators. The findings indicate that users have overwhelmingly positive responses to OPACs. Non-users have…

This report covers the background, scope, and findings of a multifaceted research project which focused on data collection and analysis related to online public access systems (OPAC's); the ultimate goal of this project is to improve information access through OPAC design and enhancement. To assist library decision-makers when planning for the…

This study investigated the usefulness of end user systems to library and information science students. Seventeen volunteers were offered free searching on BRS/After Dark and DIALOG's Knowledge Index. The search itself, postsearch questionnaire, and completed research papers were analyzed for databases used, cost and time online, and precision.…

Search Helper, a microcomputer software package marketed by Information Access Company to serve as a gateway to several of their databases, was selected as a system for introducing the Carnegie-Mellon University community to do-it-yourself database searching. Preliminary results of user survey indicate service to be extremely popular with library…