An exploratory study of ad hoc query languages to databases

The authors describe an exploratory study performed to compare three different interface styles for ad hoc query to a database. Subjects with wide-ranging computer experience performed queries of varying difficulty using either an artificial, a graphical, or a natural language interface. All three interfaces were commercial products. The study revealed strengths and weaknesses of each interface and showed that interaction with the natural language interface was qualitatively different than interaction with either the graphical or artificial language systems