Comparison of Adaptive, Adaptable and Mixed-Initiative Menus

In this paper we investigate empirically the use of five different interactive menu conditions: adaptable, adaptive split, adaptive/adaptable highlighted, adaptive/adaptable minimised and mixed-initiative menus. The aim of the study is to compare the usability of these five menus, with regard to task accomplishment time and frequency of error-occurrence. In order to carryout this comparative investigation, five menus were built. These were then tested dependently using 30 subjects. Results showed that the adaptive split menu condition was the best overall in terms of efficiency on initial use. The adaptable type was also slower than the adaptive/adaptable highlighted and mixed-initiative menus. The adaptive/adaptable minimised menu was found to be the best in terms of efficiency for the second time of use.