Object-lessons from self-explanatory objects

Abstract

Self-explanatory objects (SEOs) are based on objects found in object-oriented programs and object-oriented interfaces. In some object-oriented interfaces the functionality of the objects depicted can be discovered by exploration and experiment. However, users may not be able to identify an object's name, alternative views or representations of the object, its relations to other objects, its full functionality and/or the ways in which it was designed to be used. When a system has been programmed in an object-oriented style its coded objects may correspond with aspects of users' conceptions of the system and/or domain. Thus the form and operation of a program's code can represent a source of information which may be meaningful to users and which can be accessed and presented as explanations by a help system. This has been demonstrated by a proof of concept prototype and also by a second system, called Partickles. Some of the SEOs in Partickles offer explanations of their specific prospective functionality—indicating what they “would do” if activated in the current context. Partickles has been used to investigate when and how information from self-explanatory objects and other forms of help is used. The paper outlines the aims and context of the SEO project, describes the two systems and presents some of the results of the empirical studies conducted with Partickles. The studies showed that the Partickles SEO help facilities were used, though the usage often consisted of phases of contiguous help accesses which occurred while subjects were learning to use the system. The studies also revealed some factors, related to presentation and object-based help, that strongly influenced user behaviour. It appears that extra information from self-explanatory objects can assist users to understand and learn about systems and domains, but it may also accustom users to expect to be able to obtain extra information and challenge their existing learning strategies.