Abstract
While a good user interface is often defined as one which is immediately intuitive to use, this assumption can be dangerously applied. Designers of web pages know that if they don’t get a user’s interest in a few seconds, then the user will exit the site and navigate elsewhere. The gaming enthusiasts will reject a game if they cannot learn to play it in a few minutes. These types of applications require different design attributes than an application that will be used for hours by a trained employee or specialist. Many user experience design techniques involve obtaining feedback on low fidelity prototypes or think out loud protocols which emphasize the need that a user interface be immediately intuitive to use. User interface designers feel the pressure of the gaming culture to value immediate intuitivism or preference as the primary measure for design goodness. However, our study shows that the ability to learn how to use a display for some applications may be more important, especially if the less intuitive display reduces errors after minimal training times. Our study also suggests there may be a unique tendency of gamers to be less risk adverse in using a system, taking action without carefully measuring the risks. This has a tremendous influence on the design of high consequence systems where a user must perform critical tasks with high accuracy for personnel safety and task success.
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