David E. Kieras
Abstract
Engineering models of human performance permit some aspects of usability of interface designs to be predicted from an analysis of the task, and thus they can replace to some extent expensive user-testing data. We successfully predicted human performance in telephone operator tasks with engineering models constructed in the EPIC (Executive Process-Interactive Control) architecture for human information processing, which is especially suited for modeling multimodal, complex tasks, and has demonstrated success in other task domains. Several models were constructed on an a priori basis to represent different hypotheses about how operators coordinate their activities to produce rapid task performance. The models predicted the total time with useful accuracy and clarified some important properties of the task. The best model was based directly on the GOMS analysis of the task and made simple assumptions about the operator's task strategy, suggesting that EPIC models are a feasible approach to predicting performance in multimodal high-performance tasks.
- ABRAMS, R. A., MEYER, D. E., AND KORNBLUM, S. 1990. Eye-hand coordination: eculomotor control in rapid aimed limb movements. J. Exper. Psychol. Human Percept. Perf. 16, 2, 248-267.Google Scholar
- ANDERSON, J.R. 1976. Language, Memory, and Thought. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, N.J.Google Scholar
- ANDERSON, J. R. 1987. Skill acquisition: Compilation of weak-method problem solutions. Psychol. Rev. 94, 192-210.Google Scholar
- ANDERSON, J.R. 1993. Rules of the Mind. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, N.J.Google Scholar
- BOVAIR, S., KIERAS, D. E., AND POLSON, P.G. 1990. The acquisition and performance of text editing skill: A cognitive complexity analysis. Human-Comput. Interact. 5, 1-48.Google Scholar
- CARD, S. K., MORAN, T. P., AND NEWELL, A. 1983. The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, N.J. Google Scholar
- GRAY, W. D., JOHN, B. E., AND ATWOOD, M. E. 1993. Project Ernestine: A validation of GeMS for prediction and explanation of real-world task performance. Human-Comput. Interact. 8, 3, 209-237.Google Scholar
- HALLETT, P.E. 1986. Eye movements. In Handbook of Perception and Human Performance, K. R. Boff, L. Kaufman, and J. P. Thomas, Eds. Vol. 1. Wiley, New York, 10-1-10-112.Google Scholar
- JOHN, B. E. 1996. TYPIST: A theory of performance in skilled typing. Human-Comput. Interact. 11,321-355. Google Scholar
- JOHN, B. E. AND KmRAS, D.E. 1996a. Using GeMS for user interface design and evaluation: Which technique? ACM Trans. Comput.-Human Interact. 3, 4 (Dec.), 287-319. Google Scholar
- JOHN, B. E. ANn KmRAS, D. E. 1996b. The GOMS family of user interface analysis techniques: Comparison and contrast. ACM Trans. Comput.-Human Interact. 3, 4 (Dec.), 320-351. Google Scholar
- KIERAS, D. E. 1988. Towards a practical GOMS model methodology for user interface design. In Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction, M. Helander, Ed. North-Holland Elsevier, Amsterdam, 135-158.Google Scholar
- KIERAS, D. E. 1998. A Guide to GOMS model usability evaluation using NGOMSL. In Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction, M. Helander, T. Landauer, and P. Prabhu, Eds. 2nd ed. North-Holland, Amsterdam. To be published.Google Scholar
- KIERAS, D. E. ANn MEYER, D.E. 1997. An overview of the EPIC architecture for cognition and performance with application to human-computer interaction. Human-Comput. Interact. To be published. Google Scholar
- KIERAS, D. E. ANn POLSON, P. G. 1985. An approach to the formal analysis of user complexity. Int. J. Man-Mach. Stud. 22, 365-394.Google Scholar
- KIERAS, D. E., WOOD, S. D., ANn MEYER, D.E. 1995. Predictive engineering models using the EPIC architecture for a high-performance task. In Proceedings of CHI (Denver, Colo., May 7-11). ACM, New York. Google Scholar
- LAIRD, J., ROSENBLOOM, P., ANn NEWELL, A. 1986. Universal Subgoaling and Chunking. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Mass. Google Scholar
- MEYER, D. E. ANn KmRAS, D. E. 1997a. A computational theory of executive cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part 1. Basic mechanisms. Psychol. Rev. 104, 3-65.Google Scholar
- MEYER, D. E. ANn KmRAS, D. E. 1997b. A computational theory of executive cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part 2. Accounts of psychological refractory-period phenomena. Psychol. Rev. To be published.Google Scholar
- MCMILLAN, G. R., BEEWS, D., SALAS, E., STRUB, M. H., SUTTON, R., ANn VAN BREDA, L. 1989. Applications of Human Performance Models to System Design. Plenum Press, New York.Google Scholar
- ROSENBAUM, D.h. 1991. Human Motor Control. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Predictive engineering models based on the EPIC architecture for a multimodal high-performance human-computer interaction task
Recommendations
Dual-task performance in multimodal human-computer interaction: a psychophysiological perspective
This paper examines the psychophysiological effects of mental workload in single-task and dual-task human-computer interaction. A mental arithmetic task and a manual error correction task were performed both separately and concurrently on a computer ...
Using task models to generate multi-platform user interfaces while ensuring usability
CHI EA '02: CHI '02 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing SystemsThe widespread emergence of new computing devices and associated interaction metaphors has necessitated new ways of building User Interfaces (UIs) for these devices. In this paper, we describe our approach of using a Task Model in conjunction with the ...
Human-computer interaction: introduction and overview
CHI EA '99: CHI '99 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing SystemsThe objective of this special introductory seminar is to provide newcomers to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with an introduction and overview of the field. The material will begin with a brief history of the field, followed by presentation and ...
Comments