| This research study seeks to explore and understand how differences in the textual presentation of graphical user interface (GUI) style guides enhance or diminish user performance, and, as a consequence, the usability of the style guides. Because of the nature of interface design, style guides can be written in a prescriptive format, which emphasizes the actions that guide the design process, thus, paying special attention to the role of the designer, the end-user, in the design process. However, GUI style guides can also be written in a descriptive format, which emphasizes the interface being designed, the context in which it appears and its constituting elements.; Based on those differences, this study proposed five hypotheses, which, summarized, contend that the prescriptive guidelines will have a more positive impact on user performance than the descriptive guidelines. To test those hypotheses a mixed design approach was adopted to examine five dependent variables. To collect the data, participants performed a paper-and-pencil task in which they sketched four dialog boxes using the prescriptive and descriptive test-guidelines.; At the end of each sketch the subjects completed a questionnaire in which they rated their perceived ease of access, comprehension and applicability in the guidelines. Additional data was collected for time-on-task and conformity of the sketches to the target interface. |
