[Bf-funboard] Re: (Guillermo) Toolbox speed

[GSR / FR]

t_w_@freenet.de (2003-11-03 at 0825.50 +0100):
> >>Having just explored the new toolbox extensively, I
> >>can say that I REALLY like it! Simple, fast, easy to
> >>use... Great!
> > Did you measured with a chronometer?
> Do you have any advice, how the Toolbox should be
> evalueated for speed/efficiency or learnability?
> I mean just stoping the time used for accessing
> a menu item won't cut it.

It seems to be the method used when talking about something being
fast. Get some people or even yourself, and ask them to select things
from menus, with some randomness, measuring time required and
errors. Fit's Law is about this too, as the recommendation about
avoiding deep subnesting of levels in menus, or the one about grouping
of things with separators.

If it is fast, times will be small. If it is learnable, times will go
down with experience (no need to scan all menus or not even the first
group of items) and people will even be able to tell you where the
thing is without having the menu in front, or reach things without
really looking, by muscle memory. Obviously high times, experienced
people suffering targeting errors for no aparent reason (thus forcing
a repeat, and the clock running) or only be able to reach things if
some extra care (= slower) is taken means things are not going OK. I
talked about this in some other mail already, covering a list of
issues, did you missed it?

GSR