Gulf of execution
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In human computer interaction, the gulf of execution is the gap between a user's goal for action and the means to execute that goal.[1] Usability has as one of its primary goals to reduce this gap by removing roadblocks and steps that cause extra thinking and actions that distract the user's attention from the task intended, thereby preventing the flow of his or her work, and decreasing the chance of successful completion of the task.[2] Similarly, there is a gulf of evaluation that applies to the gap between an external stimulus and the time a person understands what it means.[3] Both phrases are first mentioned in Donald Norman's 1986 book User Centered System Design: New Perspectives on Human-computer Interaction.[1][4]
It has been suggested that this article be merged into The Design of Everyday Things. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2023. |