Minimizing User Search Time in Menu Retrieval Systems
- 1 April 1985
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
- Vol. 27 (2) , 157-162
- https://doi.org/10.1177/001872088502700203
Abstract
The optimal structuring of menu indexes in computerized information retrieval is examined. The number of alternatives per page that minimizes search time is determined as a function of the human and machine factors of search strategy, scanning time, key-press time, and computer response time. For a wide range of conditions, the optimal number of alternatives per page is in the range of from four to eight, with limiting integer values of three and four for exhaustive and self-terminating search, respectively.Keywords
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