DocumentCode
1383159
Title
Testing a digital library of technical manuals
Author
Barnett, Mark
Author_Institution
Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, OR, USA
Volume
41
Issue
2
fYear
1998
fDate
6/1/1998 12:00:00 AM
Firstpage
116
Lastpage
122
Abstract
This paper describes a methodology for testing the usability of a digital library. The paper also presents the results from using this methodology on a specific library of technical manuals. The testing process involves timing subjects while they look up facts in comparable libraries of online and paper documents. They are timed for both how long they take to find a desired manual in the library and how long they take to find a desired fact in a chosen manual. Next, the subjects fill out a questionnaire on which type library they prefer using and why. The objective time results and the subjective preferences are compared and analyzed
Keywords
Internet; human factors; system documentation; technical presentation; user interfaces; user manuals; Internet; digital library; online documents; paper documents; questionnaire; technical manuals; timing; usability; user preferences; Books; Documentation; Engineering profession; Life testing; Manuals; Power generation economics; Prototypes; Software libraries; Timing; Usability;
fLanguage
English
Journal_Title
Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on
Publisher
ieee
ISSN
0361-1434
Type
jour
DOI
10.1109/47.678553
Filename
678553
Link To Document