Graphical interfaces allow users to issue commands using pull-down menus, icon toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts. Menus and icon toolbars are easier to learn, whereas keyboard shortcuts are more efficient. It would seem natural for users to migrate from the use of easy-to-learn menu and icon methods to the more efficient method of keyboard shortcuts as they gain experience. To investigate the extent to which this transition takes place, 251 experienced users of Microsoft Word were given a questionnaire assessing their choice of methods for the most frequently occurring commands. Contrary to our expectations, most experienced users rarely used the efficient keyboard shortcuts, favoring the use of icon toolbars instead. A second study was done to verify that keyboard shortcuts are, indeed, the most efficient method. Six participants performed common commands using menu selection, icon toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcuts were, as expected, the most efficient. We conclude that even experienced users are inefficient in their use of graphical interfaces. One possible way to improve user efficiency is for training programs to provide a roadmap for users to make the transition from using pull-down menus and clicking icon toolbars to issuing keyboard shortcuts.

This study examines occupational stress among information systems personnel. A self-report stress and health behavior instrument was completed by 580 respondents in 18 large corporations in the midwestern and southwestern sections of the United States. The data indicate that various job factors are perceived as stressful by respondents. However, the stress levels reported by respondents are not as excessive as have been found in studies of other occupational groups.

The wide spread use of advanced information systems such as Material Requirements Planning (MRP) has significantly altered the practice of dependent demand inventory management. Recent research has focused on development of multi-level lot sizing heuristics for such systems. In this paper, we develop an optimal procedure for the multi-period, multi-product, multi-level lot sizing problem by modeling the system as a constrained generalized network with fixed charge arcs and side constraints. The network permits us to relax some of the more restrictive assumptions of previous models such as those designed for product structures with single sources or successors. The solution to the resulting minimum cost flow problem yields optimal lot sizing decisions for all purchases as well as manufactured goods and components in all periods over a finite planning horizon. A simple illustration, beginning with a master production schedule and bills of material, illustrates the suitablility of this approach for modeling complex requirements planning systems. Optimal solutions obtained by this method may also be useful in comparing results obtained from future heuristic approaches which may be more computationally efficient.network/graphs: applications, inventory/production, material requirements planning

The power of computers has increased so much over the past few years that even personal computers are now practical platforms for training methods using graphics, sound, and animation. The use of multimedia in training has widespread applicability. However, in this chapter we focus on the use of multimedia to train people how to use software.Changes in available hardware have made multi-media-based training practical at a time when changes in software have made it a p pear necessary. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs; e.g., the Macintosh o p erating system, Microsoft Windows, and related software) are typically easier for new users to learn than command-based systems (Temple, Barker, & Sloane, 1990). However, their widespread adoption places new demands on the traditional process of using text-based instructions to train people to use software applications. Command-based software can be taught well with simple text instructions because the user interacts with the software simply by entering a defined sequence of commands for each operation performed. However, GUIs require multiple operations at different locations on the screen as well as choices from specific menus. Because users interact with graphical objects, it is help ful to demonstrate what the different objects look like, where they are located, and so forth. Thus, presenting training information visually seems more appropriate for teaching the use of these systems. Users can see how to perform procedures and can immediately observe the 28 1

An instrument to measure the various ways people use computers was developed and evaluated. Computers can be used as word processors, game machines, communication tools, accounting tools, and for a myriad of other applications. The Computer Use Scale (CUS) measures how people use computers across four dimensions: Enthusiasm, Entertainment, Efficiency, and Communication. These scales measure the extent to which individuals use computers as "cutting-edge" technology, as playthings, as tools to create better work in less time, or to communicate with others. The scale was found to be reliable and was able to detect differences among various classes of users. Applications of the scale to computer training, software design, and job placement are discussed.How do people use computers? Can people be placed on a single continuum based on frequency of use? Clearly no: Some users are extremely enthusiastic about computer technology for its own sake, some use it as a source of entertainment, some see it primarily as a means to an end, and some are interested in using it to reach out to others. A measure of how people use computers could be helpful in tracking change in use over time, in software interface design, in employee selection and training, and many other ways. Dutton, Kovaric, and Steinfield suggested the need for a typology of patterns of computer use more than a decade ago [ 11. Unfortunately, research on this topic has been sparse.