Using GOMS to Optimize the Usability Efficiency of an Icon Customization Software

Sammanfattning

GOMS, standing for Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection rules, is an efficiency evaluation model for human-computer interaction that breaks down user workflows into measureable atomic actions. This thesis addresses the limitations of one aspect of folder management within the Windows operating system: file icon customization, which is often cumbersome and restrictive. Existing third-party tools provide some improvement but still fall short in efficiency and flexibility. Using GOMS, this work evaluates and compares various existing software solutions with the aim of identifying inefficiencies to inspire the design and implementation of a new tool that matches, or ideally, surpasses all existing solutions in typical use cases. Fitts' Law, which predicts the time it takes for a user to interact with user interface elements, and Hick's Law, which describes the time it takes for a user to make a decision based on the number of choices available, are used as secondary guides during the design phase to further analyze software using theoretical principles of user interface design where strict GOMS measurements may not be sufficient to capture the nuances of certain workflows. The final implementation focuses on streamlining the customization process to make it quicker and easier to use. The evaluation of the finished software demonstrates that the tool surpasses all others in five out of eight use cases in Windows 11, while matching the second best in the remaining three, thereby demonstrating that using GOMS as a tool to identify, compare, and improve workflows is a valid way to inspire software design decisions. Measurements made with Fitts' Law also demonstrate that the user interface of the software allows for faster interaction times, while providing the user with significantly more options at a small trade-off in decision-making time as per Hick's Law.