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Relating ideal and non-ideal verbalised knowledge to performance.
Authors:
Barnard, P., Ellis, J. & MacLean, A.
Reference:
In A. Sutcliffe & L. Macaulay (Eds.), People and Computers V (pp. 461-473). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Year of publication:
1989
CBU number:
2408
Abstract:
It is important to understand relationships between knowledge and performance. We need to establish what users really know about systems rather than simply modelling ideal knowledge. A picture probe task is used to elicit users' ideal and non-ideal knowledge of task-action mappings in two different interfaces supporting common functionality. The users of these interfaces articulated different amounts of both ideal knowledge and non-ideal knowledge. For a given interface, however, users who articulate more ideal knowledge of task action mappings generally perform well but their amount of non-ideal knowledge does not relate systematically to their performance. Non-ideal knowledge discriminated between interfaces but not between the relatively efficient and inefficient users. We discuss these results in relation to models which should ultimately help in system design, and in relation to the provision of diagnostic tests and adequate on-line support for users.
