A Preference Evaluation of Three Dialing Plans for a Residential,Phone-Based,Information Service

Abstract

Three dialing plans for accessing an audio-response system were prototyped using HyperCard^TM and placed in a head-to-head comparison. The study was designed and executed so that we could make specific recommendations for improving the user interface of an existing system which placed certain constraints upon the design (e.g., 4-digit codes were required). Because this system was intended for residential use, preference measures were considered more important than performance measures in choosing a user interface for this service. Some of the results are generally applicable and are of interest to other designers of phone-based, audio-response systems. In particular, we found a strong dislike for a mnemonic dialing plan that required users to dial letters mixed with numbers. The most preferred plan used numbers only and allowed users to minimize the number of keys pressed. This plan also supported a gradual transition from novice to expert use.

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