In almost all computer applications, users must enter correct words for the desired objects or actions. For success without extensive training, or in first-tries for new targets, the system must recognize terms that will be chosen spontaneously. We studied spontaneous word choice for objects in five application-related domains, and found the variability to be surprisingly large. In every case two people favored the same term with probability <0.20. Simulations show how this fundamental property of language limits the success of various design methodologies for vocabulary-driven interaction. For example, the popular approach in which access is via one designer's favorite single word will result in 80-90 percent failure rates in many common situations. An optimal strategy, unlimited aliasing, is derived and shown to be capable of several-fold improvements.
%0 Journal Article
%1 fur87
%A Furnas, George W.
%A Landauer, Thomas K.
%A Gomez, Louis M.
%A Dumais, Susan T.
%D 1987
%J Communications of the ACM
%K imported
%N 11
%P 964-971
%R 10.1145/32206.32212
%T The Vocabulary Problem in Human-System Communication
%V 30
%X In almost all computer applications, users must enter correct words for the desired objects or actions. For success without extensive training, or in first-tries for new targets, the system must recognize terms that will be chosen spontaneously. We studied spontaneous word choice for objects in five application-related domains, and found the variability to be surprisingly large. In every case two people favored the same term with probability <0.20. Simulations show how this fundamental property of language limits the success of various design methodologies for vocabulary-driven interaction. For example, the popular approach in which access is via one designer's favorite single word will result in 80-90 percent failure rates in many common situations. An optimal strategy, unlimited aliasing, is derived and shown to be capable of several-fold improvements.
@article{fur87,
abstract = {In almost all computer applications, users must enter correct words for the desired objects or actions. For success without extensive training, or in first-tries for new targets, the system must recognize terms that will be chosen spontaneously. We studied spontaneous word choice for objects in five application-related domains, and found the variability to be surprisingly large. In every case two people favored the same term with probability <0.20. Simulations show how this fundamental property of language limits the success of various design methodologies for vocabulary-driven interaction. For example, the popular approach in which access is via one designer's favorite single word will result in 80-90 percent failure rates in many common situations. An optimal strategy, unlimited aliasing, is derived and shown to be capable of several-fold improvements.},
added-at = {2009-01-14T00:43:43.000+0100},
author = {Furnas, George W. and Landauer, Thomas K. and Gomez, Louis M. and Dumais, Susan T.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/24022bba3ebba3742bcb187fcad4a4dc1/dret},
description = {dret'd bibliography},
doi = {10.1145/32206.32212},
interhash = {b03603efa8152234684ffce8b44a5abb},
intrahash = {4022bba3ebba3742bcb187fcad4a4dc1},
journal = {Communications of the ACM},
keywords = {imported},
month = {November},
number = 11,
pages = {964-971},
timestamp = {2009-01-14T00:43:45.000+0100},
title = {The Vocabulary Problem in Human-System Communication},
uri = {http://www.si.umich.edu/~furnas/Papers/vocab.paper.pdf},
volume = 30,
year = 1987
}