Procedure

This experiment, which examined the performance, as well as system satisfaction of users in completing a markup language task, as it relates to interaction mode and user experience level, is in effect a 2x2 factorial design, with two forms of interaction and two types of experience level. The procedure for this experiment was conducted in three main stages: Pre-Test, Test, and Post-Test.

The Pre-Test stage involved the distribution of Pre-Test Questionnaires to prospective subjects, with the intention of analyzing them and categorizing them according to skill level. The determination of skill level was determined according to the following formula:

Experienced were defined as those subjects who rated themselves as having either:

• Medium or high or very high programming experience

or

• Medium or high or very high markup knowledge/experience.

Novices were defined as those subjects who did not meet either of the above conditions.

The Task Stage required subjects to build an online questionnaire using the markup language, using the markup tags/code. In essence, the subject would build an "electronic" version of the paper questionnaire, which displays survey questions onto the screen after interpretation of the markup language code.

The Post-Test stage involved submittal of all task-related information, followed by the completion of a Post-Test Questionnaire, which included a quiz and items that focused on subjects' perceptions of learning.

The scores for the two groups (Command, Wizard) crossing with the two levels of experience (Novice, Experienced) were analyzed using GLM ANOVA, using SPSS v9.0 at a 0.05 level of significance.