http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2010/02/22/uietips-browse_vs_search/ UIE\'s latest insights on the world of design Sat, 18 May 2013 00:44:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2010/02/22/uietips-browse_vs_search/comment-page-1/#comment-150003 Michael Zuschlag Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:04:50 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=1549#comment-150003 A quick GOMS-KLM suggests searching for a command by typing 5 letters takes about 7.5 seconds. GOMS-KLM also suggests 2.5 second per menu selection. This implies that even for users familiar with the app, Search performance will be about equal to menus for menu hierarchies that are three deep. Allowing for habit-formation and “muscle memory” in both cases yields the same results. A three-deep menu implies about 500-4000 of commands, so it makes sense for apps that Rivers designs to have Search to supplement the menus. Search is superior when the hierarchy is four deep or more, but now you’re talking tens of thousands of commands; I shudder to contemplate such an app. A quick GOMS-KLM suggests searching for a command by typing 5 letters takes about 7.5 seconds. GOMS-KLM also suggests 2.5 second per menu selection. This implies that even for users familiar with the app, Search performance will be about equal to menus for menu hierarchies that are three deep. Allowing for habit-formation and “muscle memory” in both cases yields the same results. A three-deep menu implies about 500-4000 of commands, so it makes sense for apps that Rivers designs to have Search to supplement the menus. Search is superior when the hierarchy is four deep or more, but now you’re talking tens of thousands of commands; I shudder to contemplate such an app.

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