Designing Help Using a GOMS Model: An Information Retrieval Evaluation

Abstract

The GOMS model was used to develop the structure and content of a help system from the goals, operators, methods, and selection rules needed to perform HyperCard^™ authoring tasks. The retrieval effectiveness of the GOMS help system was compared with an original help system developed by Apple^® Computer. Two groups, each consisting of 14 novice HyperCard users, retrieved help for 56 authoring tasks separated into four blocks using either the GOMS or original help system. Users of GOMS help were significantly faster than were the original system users, with the largest difference occurring during the first block. Retrieval performance with GOMS help was stable, whereas original system users improved significantly over blocks. The explicit procedural structure of GOMS help seemed to ease retrieval, whereas original system users had to learn the location of specific information. This study suggests that a GOMS model can aid in the development of a procedural help system that is easy to learn and use for retrieving help information.

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