Misc,
Buttons vs. menus: An exploratory study of pull-down menu selection as compared to button bars
(1995)
Abstract
Button bars are a relatively new interaction method intended to speed up application use as compared to pull-down menus. This exploratory study compares three command selection methods: pull-down menus, button bars, and user choice of pull-down menus or button bars. Effectiveness was measured in two ways: speed of selection and error rate. 15 participants performed 15 word processor related tasks. Results show that in frequently used functions, such as character attribute selection (bold, italic, underline, etc.), button bars are faster. There were no statistically significant differences in error rates between the three interaction methods Buttons vs. Menus/Pg. 2 INTRODUCTION Throughout the history of computers, users have sought to get things done faster--- especially repeated tasks. Shell scripts and macros were early entrants in the race to find ways to accelerate human-computer interaction. Later, character based programs began to implement crude buttons selectable via keyboard ...
