AN APPLICATION OF MENU DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO AN ENERGY MANAGEMENT-SYSTEM

The organization of a menu can significantly affect user response time when selecting targets from that menu. Previous empirical studies hav e used laboratory tests to suggest menu design rules that can optimize user response. This study applied the design rules to a menu used for display selection on an Energy Management System. In such a study, th e total number of menu targets and the relationships among them is not variable, so some compromises must be made when applying the rules. T his study produced a new menu that had measurable improvement in user response time over the existing menu. Design rules regarding grouping of targets and methods of organization were successfully applied durin g the menu redesign.