Cellular phone manuals: users' benefit from spatial maps

Manuals of technical devices are often not very helpful to the user. This study investigates the influence of spatial instructions versus linear step-by-step manuals on inexperienced users' performance handling cellular phones. Results show a significant interaction between user age and manual. Middle aged users profit from the spatial information given in the manual that contains the phone's menu tree in relation to the step-by-step instruction, whereas subjects older than 50 show no improvement. It can be concluded that manufacturers should consider the inclusion of spatial information on the cellular phones' menu structure in their manuals, as the majority of users would benefit. Keywords Cellular phone, manual, spatial map, menu tree

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Susanne Bay
• Keywords: Cellular Phones, CHI 2003, Human Computer Interaction, Keywords Cellular Phone, Linear Step-by-step Manuals