An analysis of the performance and usability of a software user coach for Navy manpower planning

Advances in user interface design have made it possible to improve the effe ctiveness of complex software tools. This study explores the feasibility of improving user performance on a manpower-planning task by employing a user coach. A user coach is a software aid, often built directly into software applications, that assists the user at critical stages. The user coach deve loped for this project closely resembles the "wizards" that are commonly us ed in commercial software today. The user coach was applied to a software a pplication known as SKIPPER a manpower modeling tool employed by the Depart ment of the Navy to plan and manage the enlisted personnel. In addition to procedural assistance, the coach also provides a visual picture of the plan ning process based on a hydraulic metaphor (e.g., manpower planning as a se ries of holding tanks, faucets, pipes, valves, etc.). This article describe s the user coach, and documents a formal evaluation of its effectiveness. T he evaluation compared the use and understanding of SKIPPER (a) with the co ach, (b) with the coach and the visual metaphor, and (c) without the coach or the metaphor. All users (experienced and inexperienced) were able to com plete their planning task significantly faster using the coach than using S KIPPER unaided. Neither performance on the task, nor the user's understandi ng of manpower planning, was influenced by providing a visual picture (the hydraulic metaphor) of the process. It appears that users found the procedu ral (what to do) aids useful, but aids designed to help the user understand the purpose and dynamics (why do it) of the task were not effective.