Navigation through Hierarchical Menu Structures: Does it Help to have a Map?

Abstract

The human/computer interface for many information retrieval systems is a hierarchical menu structure. Although this type of interface has several advantages for novice users, there is great potential for confusion and disorientation when menu structures are large and complex. This experiment demonstrated that subjects given the opportunity to study a map of the menu organization for a prototype database showed an overall improvement in information retrieval performance across time. Subjects who studied a linear index of correct menu choice sequences showed a general decline in performance as the time between studying the index and new retrieval tasks increased. A control group was slower and made more unnecessary choices than either the map or index group. The results suggest that access to a pictorial representation of a menu structure facilitates the development of a workable, relatively long-lasting mental model of that structure.