research-article

Subjunctive interfaces: Extending applications to support parallel setup, viewing and control of alternative scenarios

Authors:

Kasper HornbækAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), Volume 14, Issue 4

Article No.: 17, Pages 1 - 44

https://doi.org/10.1145/1314683.1314685

Published: 19 January 2008 Publication History

Abstract

Many applications require exploration of alternative scenarios; most support it poorly. Subjunctive interfaces provide mechanisms for the parallel setup, viewing and control of scenarios, aiming to support users' thinking about and interaction with their choices. We illustrate how applications for information access, real-time simulation, and document design may be extended with these mechanisms. To investigate the usability of this form of extension, we compare a simple census browser against a version with a subjunctive interface. In the first of three studies, subjects reported higher satisfaction with the subjunctive interface, and relied less on interim marks on paper. No reduction in task completion time was found, however, mainly because some subjects encountered problems in setting up and controlling scenarios. At the end of a second, five-session study, users of a redesigned interface completed tasks 27% more quickly than with the simple interface. In the third study we examined how subjects reasoned about multiple-scenario setups in pursuing complex, open-ended data explorations. Our main observation was that subjects treated scenarios as information holders, using them creatively in various ways to facilitate task completion.

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Index Terms

Subjunctive interfaces: Extending applications to support parallel setup, viewing and control of alternative scenarios
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. HCI design and evaluation methods
    2. Interaction paradigms
      1. Graphical user interfaces

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Published In

cover image ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction Volume 14, Issue 4

January 2008

204 pages

ISSN:1073-0516

EISSN:1557-7325

DOI:10.1145/1314683

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Copyright © 2008 ACM.

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Publication History

Published: 19 January 2008

Accepted: 01 February 2007

Revised: 01 January 2005

Received: 01 January 2005

Published in TOCHI Volume 14, Issue 4

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