The impact of experience on the design of user interface

This study reports an empirical investigation of the effects of domain-relevant experience on the choice of presentation mode. An expert system with a variety of presentation modes was developed and then tested using 47 nurses to measure the usefulness of alternative modes of presentations. The major findings show that experienced as well as novice nurses were equally satisfied with presentation modes that required surface knowledge to decode information content. However, when the presentation mode required deep knowledge for interpreting information content, novice nurses tended to prefer pictorial interfaces. The implication of these findings on the design and development of expert systems is discussed.