Menu Interface Research Articles

Developing a UiTM (Perlis) Web-Based of Building Space Management System: A Preliminary Study in Locating a Specified Space/Room Area Using Open Source GIS Tool

Space management in building requires the spatial and database of the building. An open source GIS tool is used in this study to develop a web-based space management system of the buildings in the Universiti Teknologi MARA (Perlis) campus. Database management system was used to relate spatial and descriptive data of the buildings and space/room areas of the university. The objectives of the study is i) to develop a web-based system using open source GIS tool, ii) to guide the user identifying the space/area required and iii) to map the building space/room areas available. In this study, the existing template of the Graphical User Interface menu of the open source software is used to help and guide the user to visualize and determine the information of the building space. The preliminary result of the study shows that the spaces and room areas in the building can be mapped out digitally and it can also be made available to be accessed through the web for the resident of the university.

Stata

AbstractStata is general‐purpose statistical software. Currently in version 11, Stata is known for its wide range of statistical routines, ease of data management, and publication‐quality graphics. Stata is available on virtually all computing platforms, including Windows, Macintosh, and most varieties of Unix/Linux. It is designed to run on both 32‐bit and 64‐bit architectures and operating systems. Stata possesses both a command‐line interface and a point‐and‐click menu interface, with a one‐to‐one correspondence between the two. Stata appeals to researchers from a wide range of fields, with concentrations in the health sciences and in economics. Statistically, Stata strengths are in the areas of panel/longitudinal data, survival analysis, and the analysis of data from complex surveys. Users can program their own routines using a mixture of Stata's own interpretive language and the compiled matrix‐programming language Mata, included with all Stata installations. Stata is offered in three flavors: Stata/IC, a standard version adequate for most purposes; Stata/SE, an expanded version for use with larger (wider) datasets; and Stata/MP, a version with specialized code designed to make use of multiple cores/processors and run faster on systems that have them. WIREs Comp Stat 2010 2 728–733 DOI: 10.1002/wics.116This article is categorized under: Software for Computational Statistics > Command Languages Software for Computational Statistics > Software/Statistical Software

TNT, a free program for phylogenetic analysis

AbstractThe main features of the phylogeny program TNT are discussed. Windows versions have a menu interface, while Macintosh and Linux versions are command‐driven. The program can analyze data sets with discrete (additive, non‐additive, step‐matrix) as well as continuous characters (evaluated with Farris optimization). Effective analysis of large data sets can be carried out in reasonable times, and a number of methods to help identifying wildcard taxa in the case of ambiguous data sets are implemented. A variety of methods for diagnosing trees and exploring character evolution is available in TNT, and publication‐quality tree‐diagrams can be saved as metafiles. Through the use of a number of native commands and a simple but powerful scripting language, TNT allows the user an enormous flexibility in phylogenetic analyses or simulations.© The Willi Hennig Society 2008.

Better Design of Menu Selection Systems Through Cognitive Psychology and Human Factors

In this study, I seek to emphasize the contributions of cognitive psychology and human factors research in the design of menu selection systems. Menu selection systems are used in computer interfaces to allow users to enter choices, set parameters, and navigate to items, functions, and locations. Designers of these systems have many choices concerning the organizational structure and layout of the menu interface. I review several of these concerning hierarchies of menus, organization and clustering of items, and item distinctiveness. Special attention is given to cases in which designer's intuition differed from theory and experimental results. Cognitive psychology and human factors have contributed both theory and empirical research that have helped to resolve differences of opinion and establish general principles for design. It is argued that cognitive psychology has contributed substantially to the design of better menu selection systems. It is imperative that designers continue to apply these findings to interfaces that they develop and that researchers continue to study the characteristics and efficacy of innovative menu designs as they appear.

User Preferences for Auditory Device-driven Menu Navigation

A device-driven auditory menu interface that “pushes” the menu options to the user and requires minimal user input can be beneficial to users with both limited vision and input range. Presentation rate is important for auditory menus; they need to be slow enough for comprehension and responding, but fast enough to prevent frustration. User preferences for inter-item gap on an auditory device-driven cell phone menu were investigated. Participants ( n=11) navigated a two-level auditory menu to target a randomly chosen item. Before each trial participants set the inter-item gap by manipulating a slider. Results showed a mean preference for .853 second inter-item gap in experimental trials, and a significant decrease in preferences between practice (15) and experimental (30) trials [t(10) = 4.28, p = .002]. Accuracy was 91.5% over all the trials. The findings indicate that it is feasible to design a limited-input cell phone with an auditory device-driven menu.

AAC menu interface: Effectiveness of active versus passive learning to master abbreviation-expansion codes

This study investigated the accuracy with which 30 young adults without disabilities learned abbreviation expansion codes associated with specific vocabulary items that were stored in an AAC device with two accessing methods: mouse access and keyboard access. Both accessing methods utilized a specialized computer application, called AAC Menu, which allowed for errorless practice. Mouse access prompted passive learning, whereas keyboard access prompted active learning. Results revealed that participants who accessed words via a keyboard demonstrated significantly higher mastery of abbreviation-expansion codes than those who accessed words via a computer mouse.

User‐process model approach to improve user interface usability

AbstractOur purpose in this study is to inductively reorganize software interface menu items based on a user's process model. The proposed menu interface in this study used direct users' input, such as goals and strategies for solving their information needs, to reorganize and re‐label menus. To assess its effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with actual users, we implemented and compared this new menu version to the original interface that was based upon a traditional categorical menu organization. The significance of this study is that it incorporates user process modeling into the design of the user interface, providing insights into the impact of such modeling on the usability of an information system. Results from the usability testing do indicate that the proposed menu and the traditional menu are similarly effective for users in terms of task completion time and accuracy. User preferences and debriefing comments from usability testing also indicate users preferred the user‐process based arrangement of menu items as displayed. However, the types of tasks (different problem type) suggest significant differences for results in task completion time and in accuracy, sometimes favoring the new version. In other words, usable and effective menu organization depends more on the types of tasks and the domain of knowledge than mere menu organization, although menu organization is a factor in the process.

Speech driven data selection in a voice-enabled program

A method of dynamically formatting a speech menu construct can include a series of steps. A markup language document containing a reference to a server-side program can be provided. The server-side program can be programmed to dynamically format data using a voice-enabled markup language. A database can be accessed using the server-side program. The database can have a plurality of data items. Using the voice-enabled markup language, the selected data items can be formatted thereby creating speech menu items. The speech menu items can specify a speech menu construct resulting in a menu interface that is dynamically generated from data in data store, rather than being written by a programmer, and allows the user to “speak to the data.”

Dynamically adjusting speech menu presentation style

A method for adjusting a speech menu interface in a speech recognition system. The method can include a series of steps which can include identifying one or more menu items from a data structure in memory for presentation using the speech menu interface. The step of retrieving the one or more menu items from the data structure can be included. Also, the step of reading at least one attribute corresponding to the one or more menu items with menu item criteria can be included. Based on the comparing step, the method can include selecting a presentation style for presentation of the one or more menu items using the speech menu interface.

Flood risk mapping for Pari River incorporating sediment transport

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an efficient and interactive spatial decision support tool for flood risk analysis. This paper describes the development of ArcView GIS extension — namely AVHEC-6.avx — to integrate the HEC-6 hydraulic model within GIS environment. The extension was written in an Avenue Script language and Dialog Designer with a series of ‘ point and click’ options. It has the capability of analyzing the computed water surface profiles generated from HEC-6 model and producing a related flood map for the Pari River in the ArcView GIS. The user-friendly menu interface guides the user to understand, visualize, build query, conduct repetitious and multiple analytical tasks with HEC-6 outputs. The flood risk model was tested using the hydraulic and hydrological data from the Pari River catchment area. The required sediment input parameters were obtained from field sampling. The results of this study clearly show that GIS provides an effective environment for flood risk analysis and mapping. The present study only concentrates on the flood risk within the boundary of the bunds.

WATGIS: A GIS–BASED LUMPED PARAMETER WATER QUALITY MODEL

A Geographic Information System (GIS)based, lumped parameter water quality model was developed to estimatethe spatial and temporal nitrogenloading patterns for lower coastal plain watersheds in eastern North Carolina. The modeluses a spatially distributed delivery ratio (DR) parameter to account for nitrogen retention or loss along a drainage network.Delivery ratios are calculated from time of travel and an exponential decay model for instream dynamics. Travel times fromany point in the drainage network to the watershed outlet are obtained from simulations using a combined physically basedfield hydrology and drainage canal routing model (DRAINMODDUFLOW). Nitrogen load from contributing areas in thewatershed delivered to the main watershed outlet is obtained as the product of field export with the corresponding deliveryratio. The total watershed load at the outlet is the combined loading of the individual fields. Nitrogen exports from sourceareas are measured. The lumped water quality model is integrated within a GIS framework with menu interface, displayoptions, and statistical procedures. Within this framework, the model can be used as a screening tool to analyze the effectsof different land and water management practices on downstream water quality. A description of the model is presented alongwith the results from the evaluation of the model to characterize the seasonal and annual export of nitrogen from a drainedforested watershed near Plymouth, North Carolina. Results of the study showed that the lumped parameter model canreasonably predict the loads at the outlet of the watershed. Predicted loads for 1997 were highly correlated with the observedloads (correlation coefficients of 0.99, 0.90, and 0.96 for nitratenitrogen, TKN, and total nitrogen respectively). Sensitivityand uncertainty analyses indicated that predicted outlet loads were sensitive to field flow predictions and exportconcentrations. Overall, the results indicate that the lumped parameter model can be an effective tool for describing themonthly nitrogen loads from a poorly drained coastal plain watershed.

Decision Support System for Surface Water Planning in River Basins

A decision support system (DSS) for the integration of hydrologic process modeling and risk evaluation of the surface water management alternatives in a river basin is developed. The DSS, named CTIWM, is aimed at supporting the testing and evaluation of water management policies and at facilitating integration of user-selected scenarios into planning strategies of the water resource system in the Chikugo River basin, a multipurpose multireservoir system. CTIWM uses a module library that contains compatible modules for simulating a variety of hydrologic processes. Different numerical models are invoked through a user interface menu, which facilitates communications between users and models in a friendly way. The source code was developed by using object-oriented programming techniques. The result shows that the use of DSSs may effectively improve the speed and quality of water management and give users more flexibility in analyzing different scenarios.

Learning and retention with a menu and a command line interface

Within the context of a computer-based tutoring system, 36 participants initially learned sequences of commands to satisfy common file, directory, and process manipulations with UNIX 1 UNIX is a trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. 1 . Each of three task objectives required correctly entering four lines of command sequences with one of three different interface conditions. Learning occurred with a menu interface (recognition), a command line interface (recall), and a combination menu-command line interface (recognition-plus-recall). The criterion of task mastery was three successive help-free and error-free iterations through an interface condition. After a four-week interval with no interface exposure, the task was repeated. The results showed that performance on both menu and command line interfaces, as evidenced by requests for help, error frequency, and trials to task mastery, required relearning after the period of disuse. The command line interface was generally associated with higher levels of performance than the menu interface, especially during retention testing. The components of the combined interface interacted, but transfer of learning between them was incomplete.

ArcGMT: a suite of tools for conversion between Arc/INFO® and Generic Mapping Tools (GMT)

ArcGMT is a new suite of tools for converting Generic Mapping Tool (GMT) grids to a format readable by the Arc/INFO® and ArcView® geographic information system (GIS) packages and, conversely, for creating GMT grids and files from Arc/INFO formats. GMT has arisen as an unofficial standard among geoscientists for producing maps, particularly from marine bathymetry, sidescan sonar imagery, gravity and magnetics data. Many geoscientists have also turned to the mapping, database management and spatial analytical capabilities of Arc/INFO and ArcView. Subsequently, a need has arisen, particularly in the marine geology and geophysics community, for a conversion interface between these two environments. This initial version of ArcGMT is designed for UNIX-based workstations running Arc/INFO version 7.0 or higher and GMT version 3.0 or higher. ArcGMT consists of a series of UNIX shell scripts and Arc Macro Language (AML) files, bundled in an easy-to-use menu interface for use within Arc/INFO. Also described is a `beta' prototype of ArcGMT, still under development, that functions as an extension to ArcView version 3.0 with Spatial Analyst.

Visual Elements and Container Metaphors for Multi‐Media

The paper describes the research behind three elements of an interactive product created from education radio resources. Firstly, a main menu interface that takes into account physical classroom conditions. Secondly, interactive learning interfaces that accommodate eye and vision requirements of children. Thirdly, a story interface design informed by the “container” metaphor and the 2D metaphors in radio script structures mapped in 3D using a “Radio Rooms” model.The work was carried out as a Senior Radio Producer with BBC Education, on a project using educational radio materials to create interactive multimedia resources, part of a MPhil/PhD sponsored by the BBC.

The impacts on user performance and satisfaction of a voice-based front-end interface for a standard software tool

The objective of this study was to compare empirically the effect on performance and satisfaction of a menu and a front-end voice interface to a commonly used spreadsheet software package. In this study, the type of human-computer interface used (standard keyboard/mouse use of menus or keyboard/mouse with a voice front-end) is expected to influence user performance (task completion time and error rates) and satisfaction. The user's novice/expert classification is expected to interact with these two types of interfaces to influence the efficiency of the user's performance. The results suggest that there are significant relationships between task performance and level of expertise/type of interface and between user attitudes and type of interface. In general, the front-end voice interface users performed worse and had less favorable attitudes towards the software tool than the menu interface users.

Hand interface in traditional modeling and animation tasks

3-D task space in modeling and animation is usually reduced to the separate control dimensions supported by conventional interactive devices. This limitation maps only partial view of the problem to the device space at a time, and results in tedious and unnatural interface of control. This paper uses the DataGlove interface for modeling and animating scene behaviors. The modeling interface selects, scales, rotates, translates, copies and deletes the instances of the primitives. These basic modeling processes are directly performed in the task space, using hand shapes and motions. Hand shapes are recognized as discrete states that trigger the commands, and hand motion are mapped to the movement of a selected instance. The interactions through hand interface place the user as a participant in the process of behavior simulation. Both event triggering and role switching of hand are experimented in simulation. The event mode of hand triggers control signals or commands through a menu interface. The object mode of hand simulates itself as an object whose appearance or motion influences the motions of other objects in scene. The involvement of hand creates a diversity of dynamic situations for testing variable scene behaviors. Our experiments have shown the potential use of this interface directly in the 3-D modeling and animation task space.

User productivity as a function of AutoCAD interface design

Increased operator productivity is a desired outcome of user-CAD interaction scenarios. Two objectives of this research were to (1) define a measure of operator productivity and (2) empirically investigate the potential effects of CAD interface design on operator productivity, where productivity is defined as the percentage of a drawing session correctly completed per unit time. Here, AutoCAD provides the CAD environment of interest. Productivity with respect to two AutoCAD interface designs ( menu, template) and three task types ( draw, dimension, display) was investigated. Analysis of user productivity data revealed significantly higher productivity under the menu interface condition than under the template interface condition. A significant effect of task type was also discovered, where user productivity under display tasks was higher than productivity under the draw and dimension tasks. Implications of these results are presented.

Minitab Menus‐Do They Help or Hinder?

SummaryA comparison of the levels of difficulty experienced by students in the use of Minitab through its menu interface and its command language showed no advantavge in using the menus.

Experimental comparison between automatic and manual menu interface design methods

An experimental comparison between two methods of designing a menu-tree interface for an information system is described. The ‘automatic’ method is based on the ADISSA methodology (architectural design of information systems based on structured analysis) according to which the interface is derived automatically from dataflow diagrams (DFD) as a by-product of the system analysis stage. In the ‘manual’ (‘conventional’) method the designer constructs an appropriate interface by applying common principles of interface design. The objective of the experiment is to find out which design method yields a better initial interface, before it is given to users for further improvements. The user's viewpoint is adopted i.e., the interface was evaluated subjectively. The hypothesis is that menutrees designed automatically are as good as those designed by people. The experiment included six information system development projects. One menu-tree interface was designed automatically for each system. Four others were designed manually by different designers who were assigned randomly to the systems. The five different interfaces of each system were given to 16 potential users for evaluation and comparison. Analysis of the results revealed no significant difference between the mean scores of the two types of interface. Noting that the automatic menus are obtained as a by-product of the system analysis stage, and that they can be improved by users during prototyping, it is concluded that the method provides a good start for the interface design.