Interfaces to structured text |  |
Research project on the usability of the interfaces to editing XML and other types of structured document |
Interfaces to structured text | |
Research project on the usability of the interfaces to editing XML and other types of structured document |
2005-04-17 After two years of backgrounding and updating, I've started to accumulate enough material to explain some of the things people have been asking about this project—hence this site.
2004-09-30 Finished the Expert survey, identifying editor features which cause perceived client discomfort. Presented keynote on interfaces to the PracTex Conference. Analysed the usefulness of Affordances in describing the acquisition of presuppositions about structured documents and software.
2003-09-30 Conducted the pilot Expert survey, looking for evidence of client discomfort with editor software. Completed preliminary study of selected editors, identifying conformance issues and features offered. Undertook restricted literature review in Usability with special emphasis on structured documents.
2002 Extended discussions with colleagues at the XML Summer School, the Extreme Markup Conference, and the XML Conference, as well as online in various forums, about the usability, features, and inadequacies of editing software for strctured documents. Of particular note were the increasingly frequent posts to online forums from companies wanting to move documents into XML, but unable to locate a suitable editor.
| Peter Flynn MA (PCL, 1978), HND-BS (LCP, 1976)
Please mail all comments to peter.flynn(at)mars.ucc.ie |  2005-07-27 |
| University College Cork, Department of Applied Psychology | |
| Supervisor: Dr Jurek Kirakowski Professor: Prof Maxwell Taylor |
Contents: Synopsis | Thesis | Outline methodology
Other pages: Home | Structure | Editors | Usability | Code | Proposal | Reports | Bibliography
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This site describes my research for a PhD in the Department of Applied Psychology and the Human Factors Research Group. This is a part-time project (I work full-time in a related area) so the frequency of updates is unpredictable. Please note that these pages represent drafts, outlines, and work-in-progress, so many sections are limited to titles or to brief comments.
1. Synopsis
In the period since the introduction of interactive computing (and even for a while before) there has been a growth in the use of computer-mediated editing of text. This currently takes two general forms, structured and unstructured (this is a generalisation, and the detailed analysis is discussed in Structure: Origins and applications in human discourse).
The applications of structured editing are currently centered on XML (earlier technologies such as SGML and LATEX are however still very much in evidence). The developments in editing have largely been driven by the use of XML in data-oriented applications, where typographic formatting is barely relevant. Where document-oriented (publishing) applications are concerned the historical skill-sets of technical specialists and editors have not led to any significant changes in editor design since the days of SGML.
The result is that further development of XML in the document publishing field is heavily restricted by the use of inappropriate or suboptimal editor interfaces and designs. The skill-sets, presuppositions, and preferences which authors and editors now bring to the task are not well matched with the features and facilities offered by most editing software.
This research will examine these conflicts from three angles: the psychology of the user, the usability of the software, and the demands of the nature of structured document editing. The objective is to identify any significant mismatches, and build a model of the editing process for use in analysing any changes that could be made.
2. Thesis
What have we missed? Authors cannot use XML or other structured editors without special training in the underlying technology, and the interfaces available are deeply impoverished by comparison with those used in wordprocessors, the class of editor most familiar to authors.
At the same time, the same interfaces are regarded as equally impoverished in respect of their usefulness as structured editors.
The situation is worse than unsatisfactory, and it is widely regarded as affecting the efficiency of most structured-document operations. What are the aspects of the current methodologies and interfaces that have been overlooked or omitted?
3. Outline methodology
Enumerate, categorise, and measure the functions and features of structured-document editors to provide a baseline for further analyses.
Collect sample information on the attitudes and presuppositions of users of text software and its surrounding environment, especially in relationship to their understanding of document concepts, and use this to identify and classify the behaviour and presuppositions shown by authors while editing structured documents.
Identify the usability requirements of editing software for structured text; use the results to isolate the sets of features not currently represented in available products; create a test environment to examine the effects of making the features available; and build a model of a system which reflects the identified needs of authors and [human] editors.