Tradeoffs in computer interaction styles

System design involves a series of tradeoffs. The benefit of one design technique will impact the benefits of another. Developers must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each approach in order to design the system that is most suitable for the end user. Studies have been performed to determine users' preferences for various system designs. In particular, studies have shown that menu selection and direct manipulation systems are favored by novices and intermediate computer users, while command language interaction is desired by experienced users. What performance characteristics or design attributes attracted the users to the interaction style? What performance characteristics are users willing to tradeoff in order to obtain their desired system? Multi-attribute utility analysis (MAUA) is presented to illustrate how formal approaches to decision making can be used to select alternatives for computer interaction styles.