Experimental Research On Audio-Hypertext Interface Design

Audio-hypertext is an auditory system, which presents speech information with hypertext structure. And it can be widely used in the circumstances where visual information is limited or cannot be used such as visually impaired users. In order to promote this audio-hypertext system into practical use, many researches of user interfaces for the system need to be done. This study tried to provide some guidelines of user interface design by testing the effectiveness of different information organizing structures and presenting methods in the audio-hypertext.Three experiments were conducted in this study. The first experiment tested the effect of audio hyperlink number on user performance. Meanwhile the breadth in the audio-hyperlink design was investigated. The second experiment was on the effect of timeout and auditory prompts on user performance. The last one was on the effect of visual aids on user performance.Main conclusions of this research are as following:1) Number of hyperlink in audio hypertext systems should not be more than three.2) If the number of audio-hyperlink was more than three, the serial-position effect (recency effect and primacy effect) in the subjects' performance was found.3) Within 800 ms, the longer the timeout between audio-hyperlinks, the better the subjects' performance.4) Effects of input-prompt depended much on modals. Input-prompt from auditory modal interfered with subjects' operation, while extra visual aids enhanced their performance.5) Subjects' performance was significantly improved if the number of audio-hyperlink was prompted before the audio-hypertext presentation.