An Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process: A Rank-Ordering of Computer Interfaces

Abstract

This paper presents the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a methodology for developing ratio scales from paired comparison data. The AHP offers several advantages over traditional psychophysical approaches for generating measurement scales. One advantage is its ability to readily quantify consistency in human judgments. Another is the ability of the AHP to provide useful empirical results in the event of a small sample of subjects and when the likelihood of obtaining meaningful statistical results may be restricted. Finally, the methodology requires no statistical assumptions regarding the distribution of human judgments. This paper demonstrates that the AHP can be applied to types of subjective data frequently acquired during human factors experimentation. In an empirical scenario, subjects performed paired comparison judgments on a set of five computer interfaces designed for an automated part recognition system. The objective was to rank these interfaces on the basis of users' perceptions regarding two interface characteristics: usability and learnability. Results of the analysis provide ratio scales for evaluating both interface usability and learnability.

Multicriteria Spatial Decision Analysis in Web GIS Environment

“…BioconsSDSS has two major parts in application at server level: first it takes input from the decision maker and calculates overall priority of the alternatives using AHP, then the output from AHP used as input for geo-processing and spatial decision analysis. Some of the screen shot of the developed system are shown in Figures 6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 and 16. The developed SDSS provides a facility to select factors and criteria with initial weight based on decision maker's field knowledge ( Figure 6). Once the decision maker provides this input to the system the application opens a new window for generating a decision matrix (Figure 7).…”

“…Multicriteria spatial decision support systems are part of a broader field of spatial decision support systems (SDSS). Several application specific frameworks for designing MCSDSS have been proposed [3]- [5], [8], [12], [19]. The MCSDSS in a sharable framework can solve the real world spatial decision problem most efficiently.…”

Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process to Examine Judgment Consistency in a Complex Multiattribute Task

“…The AHP has been used to assist decision making in applications ranging from bridge-design selection to product-pricing-strategy choice [23]. It has also been used in human-factor applications such as to rank order computer interfaces [24], to ascertain appropriate knowledge-elicitation methods [25], to select attributes for designing virtual environment systems [26], to isolate Gestalt grouping principles to organize home pages [27], and to analyze the decision process itself in multiattribute decisions [28]. While a brief introduction to the AHP is presented in this paper, a more comprehensive tutorial on using the AHP is provided by Mitta [24].…”

Using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process on optimum spatial allocation

“…The result is given as a numerical value in order to give a clear hierarchy of relative importance between factors and also to construct a weight system to use on resource distribution, investment combinations and predictions. For example, the AHP is used on selecting machines for flexible manufacturing systems (Tabucanon et al, 1994), evaluating human sensitivity to chromatic light (Wang and Lee, 1997) and the analysis of information systems (Finnie et al, 1993;Mitta, 1993).…”