3.3 Subjective Results

The data for the subjective evaluations are summarized in Appendix C. The key results from the questions answered are

• The majority of subjects rated Pad++ as being about the same as other browsers with respect to both ease of use and technological advancement.
• Treatment group 2, which contains very few computer experts, gave higher ratings both for ease of use and technological advancement
• There was a strong positive response to the zooming concept by the treatment groups with non-zero zoom periods. A clear majority rated zooming from 7 to 9 on a scale of 1 (very annoying to use) to 9 (very pleasant to use).

It is important to note that in this experiment the mouse-based pan and zoom features of Pad++ were not used. Subjects only followed hyperlinks by clicking on objects, just as would be done in Netscape or Internet Explorer. Thus the subject’s responses to the questions on Pad++ should not be taken as a general comment on all of Pad++. The subjects who were interested in learning more about Pad++ and asked questions were impressed by the mouse-controlled navigation through an information space.

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