The effects of GSS interface and task type on group interaction are ex
amined in this experimental study. A 2 X 2 factorial design is employe
d. Each treatment has eight groups. Two types of GSS interfaces are st
udied: icon-based and text-based. Two task types are investigated: int
ellective and preference. Three dependent variables are measured: effi
ciency of influence attempts, inequality of influence attempts, and do
minance significance. Results of data analysis show that groups using
icon-based interface achieve greater efficiency of influence attempts,
greater equality of influence attempts, and less dominance significan
ce than groups using text-based interface. Moreover, equality of influ
ence attempts is greater for preference task groups than intellective
task groups. These results suggest that an icon-based interface is a u
seful feature of a GSS, particularly when group members an novice comp
uter users. GSS developers should, therefore, pay attention to interfa
ce design on top of the considerations for other GSS features. (C) 199
7 Elsevier Science B.V.