Date of Award

12-1990

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

L. Maurice Riggins, Major, USAF

Abstract

This thesis investigated differences in organizational efficiency and effectiveness for users of graphical user interfaces and text-based interfaces on personal computers in Air Forces offices. Areas of interest included amount of time required to learn the basic system, amount of time required to learn new application, users' ratings of user-friendliness, users' perceptions of the extent that their system help them perform in their job, the number of software packages used on the job by users of each system, user satisfaction, responsible authorities' ratings of quality of output, and the relationship between user job experience level and interface used on the job. A literature review revealed no similar studies within the Department of Defense to date. Two populations across two organizations were identified for survey administration--users of graphical user interfaces and users of text-based interfaces. A total of 700 surveys were out with 454 returned for a response rate of 64.9%. The results of the study indicated that for the organizations surveyed, graphical user interfaces offer significant advantages in each of the areas investigated. Finally, the results of the study revealed that less experienced users tend to use graphical interfaces over text-based systems in greater numbers while civilian users were more likely to use text-based systems.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GIR-LSM-90D-7

DTIC Accession Number

ADA229708

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted

Presented to the Faculty of the School of Systems and Logistics of the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science

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