Text-Editing Performance on a Visual Display Screen as a Function of Window Height and Message Length
Author | : Maureen M. Larkin |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 51 |
Release | : 1987 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:17936578 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (78 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Text-editing performance on a visual display screen was studied as a function of five different window heights (1, 4, 8, 16, and 23 lines) and three different message lengths (short=1 line, medium =10-15 lines, and long = 23 lines). Performance and attitude data were collected on 30 subjects. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) conducted on the performance data revealed a significant main effect for message length but not for window height nor for the interaction between these two variables. Subjects took longer to locate text in medium and long messages than in short messages. A second MANOVA revealed that regardless of window-height condition, subjects' general attitudes toward computers became more positive following their interactions with the computer. Taken together, the results indicate that people's text-editing performance and attitudes are not adversely affected as the amount of text that is displayed on a computer screen is reduced. Therefore, depending on the task, larger computer screens may not offer significant advantages to users. Keywords: man computer interface; Small screens.