We conducted two studies that demonstrate automatically generated interfaces can be more usable than interfaces created by human designers. The first study shows that users of automatically generated interfaces for two all-in-one printers were twice as fast and four times more successful at completing tasks than users of the manufacturer's original interfaces. The second study shows that algorithms for automatically generating consistent user interfaces can provide additional benefits by allowing users to perform tasks with a new interface twice as fast as users of an interface generated without consideration for consistency. These two studies demonstrate that automatic interface generation is now viable and especially desirable where users will benefit from individualized interfaces or where human designers are constrained by cost and other factors. Author Keywords Automatic interface generation, handheld computers, personal digital assistants, mobile phone, personal universal c...
Jeffrey Nichols, Duen Horng Chau, Brad A. Myers