Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of a text-formatting issue that was revealed during usability tests of an enterprise software prototype being developed by a telecommunications company. Usability test results indicated that search times for information were longer than expected when form fields displayed field identifiers in a non-bold format and field values in a bold format. This unexpected finding prompted further examination of the text formats used in the enterprise software. Four different text-formatting conditions were created and tested using 32 participants. These conditions were as follows: 1) Non-Bold Field Identifier/Non-Bold Field Value, 2) Non-Bold Field Identifier/Bold Field Value, 3) Bold Field Identifier/Non-Bold Field Value, and 4) Bold Field Identifier/Bold Field Value. Participants performed a search task using an interface that approximated what was developed for the enterprise software. Measures of search time, accuracy and scan path indicated that performance was best for the Bold Field Identifier/Non-Bold Field Value condition. The results are discussed in terms of potential cost savings, and an additional study is proposed.
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