Guided systems versus interactive online help

Abstract

In this study a guided system for the operation of a telephone system is compared with a system with a command-line interface. The system with a command-line interface was designed with three different online help systems: index-based, context-sensitive and interactive respectively. A user test showed that guided systems are most efficient and command-line interfaces are less efficient for novice users. Additional tests showed that the efficiency of a command-line interface may be improved by adding an interactive online help function. With this function the user can apply the information immediately without remembering it and without leaving the help function.