Milliseconds Matter

[Wayne Gray]

New paper. Just accepted for publication.

Can be downloaded from:

http://hfac.gmu.edu/~mm

Gray, W. D., & Boehm-Davis, D. A. (in press). Milliseconds Matter: An 
introduction to microstrategies and to their use in describing and 
predicting interactive behavior. Journal of Experiment Psychology: 
Applied.

ABSTRACT

Interactive behavior is constrained by the design of the artifacts 
available (such as a mouse and button) as well as by the ways in 
which elementary cognitive, perceptual, and motor operations can be 
combined. Any two basic activities, for example (a) moving to and (b) 
clicking on a button, can be combined to yield a limited number of 
microstrategies. The results of an experimental study suggest that 
alternative microstrategies can be deployed that shave milliseconds 
from routine interactive behavior. Data from a usability study are 
used to explore the potential of microstrategies for (a) bracketing 
the range of individual performance (b) profiling individual 
differences, and (c) diagnosing mismatches between expected and 
obtained performance. These two studies support the arguments that 
the microstrategies deployed can be sensitive to small features of an 
interface and that task analyses at the millisecond level can inform 
design.
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Wayne D. Gray, Program Director
HUMAN FACTORS & APPLIED COGNITIVE PROGRAM

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