Steptorials : stepping through complex applications

The steptorial is a new form of help system designed to assist new users in learning complex applications. Steptorials provide examples of high level user goals within applications using a hierarchical instruction set by breaking this goal into smaller goals, down to the level of individual interface interactions. Steptorials are unique in that they have they control structure of a reversible programming language stepper, allowing the user to step over, step back over, or step into any instruction. Further, the user may choose, at any time, to be shown how to do a step, be guided through it, or to use the application interface without constraint. This allows for varying the autonomy of the user at any step while reducing the risk of trying new operations.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Mercer, Phillip, Jr

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Henry Lieberman.

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91848

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/91848