Graphical user interfaces and ease of use

Abstract

Graphicrd user interfaces (GUIS) are on their way to becoming the most pervasive interface for desktop systems at least partly because of conventional wisdom abut their ease of use. Such an assumption may have been kindled by vendors' claims about the inherent usability of such interfaces aSthough previous research on the productivity gains from GUIS has yielded mixed results. This paper reports the results of a field study of 230 users of a popular GUI, Microsoft Corporation's Windows. The study examined Windows' ease of use --an important factor contributing to eventual productivity. The results indicate that contrary to ppular belief GUIS are not universally easy to use --certain types of individuals are likely to find them easier to use than others. Organizational roles and management initiatives can also influence perceptions of ease of use. The findings also suggest that ease of use is enhanced through opportunities for self training rather than traditional, formal training.

Accessibility of ATMS for the functionally illiterate through icon-based interfaces

“…In three of the six screens the Icon interface was fastest for the illiterate group (the 'enter card', 'enter amount' and 'remove card' screens), although the difference was not significant. Evidence would suggest that further exposure to Icon interfaces enable subjects to learn the icons to such an extent that the performance will be similar to the Text interface (Zanino et al 1994, Wiedenbeck 1999). …”

“…Once again, the sample consisted entirely of small group of university students (48 students). Additionally, Zanino et al (1994) found that individual characteristics such as previous experience with a system and educational attainment impacted on people's belief that they would be able to use graphical user interfaces (GUIs). For example, Blankenberger and Hahn (1991) found that icon-based interfaces had little effect on the performance of experienced users.…”

The Effects of Self-Service Web Portals on Online Banking Service Quality: A Theoretical Model

“…One possible explanation is that Windows environment is inherently easy to use. Windows GUI, as an ease of use factor contributed to eventual productivity (Zanino, Agarwal & Prasad, 1994). The web interface provides simple, menu-driven access to data and tools for analysis (Macken, Lu, Goodman & Boykin, 2001).…”

A case study in object-oriented maintenance

“…GUIs have long been preferred to character-based text interfaces, mainly due to the perceived ease-of-use [12]. While GUIs provide consumer ease-of-use, developing applications that provide a GUI is often difficult and timeconsuming.…”