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UNtTEO STATES iPARTMENT OF OMMERCE

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NBS TECHNICAL NOTE 802

Network User

information Support

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^ARTMENT

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National

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Standards
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

The National Bureau of Standards' was established by an act of Congress March 3, 1901. The Bureau's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation's science and technology

and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Bureau conducts

research and provides: (1) a basis for the Nation's physical measurement system, (2) scientific and technological services for industry and government, (3) a technical basis for equity in trade, and (4) technical services to promote public safety. The Bureau consists of the Institute for Basic Standards, the Institute for Materials Research, the Institute for Applied Technology,

the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology, and the Office for Information Programs.

THE INSTITUTE FOR BASIC STANDARDS provides the central basis within the United

States of a complete and consistent system of physical measurement; coordinates that system

with measurement systems of other nations; and furnishes essential services leading to accurate and uniform physical measurements throughout the Nation's scientific community, industry, and commerce. The Institute consists of a Center for Radiation Research, an Office of Measurement Services and the following divisions: Applied Mathematics — Electricity — Mechanics — Heat — Optical Physics — Nuclear

Sciences - — Applied Radiation ' — Quantum Electronics ' — Electromagnetics '' — Time

and Frequency ' — Laboratory Astrophysics ^ — Cryogenics ''. THE INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement, standards, and data on the properties of well-characterized

materials needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and Government; provides

advisory and research services to other Government agencies; and develops, produces, and

distributes standard reference materials. The Institute consists of the Office of Standard Reference Materials and the following divisions: Analytical Chemistry — Polymers — Metallurgy — Inorganic Materials — Reactor

Radiation — Physical Chemistry.

THE INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TECHNOLOGY provides technical services to promote

the use of available technology and to facilitate technological innovation in industry and Government; cooperates with public and private organizations leading to the development of

technological standards (including mandatory safety standards), codes and methods of test; and provides technical advice and services to Government agencies upon request. The Institute consists of a Center for Building Technology and the following divisions and offices: Engineering and Product Standards — Weights and Measures — Invention and Innovation — Product Evaluation Technology — Electronic Technology — Technical Analysis — Measurement Engineering — Structures, Materials, and Life Safety* — Building

Environment * — Technical Evaluation and Application * — Fire Technology.

THE INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY conducts research and provides technical services designed to aid Government agencies in improving cost effec- tiveness in the conduct of their programs through the selection, acquisition, and effective utilization of automatic data processing equipment; and serves as the principal focus within

the executive branch for the development of Federal standards for automatic data processing

equipment, techniques, and computer languages. The Institute consists of the following

divisions: Computer Services — Systems and Software — Computer Systems Engineering — Information Technology.

THE OFFICE FOR INFORMATION PROGRAMS promotes optimum dissemination and

accessibility of scientific information generated within NBS and other agencies of the Federal Government; promotes the development of the National Standard Reference Data System and

a system of information analysis centers dealing with the broader aspects of the National Measurement System; provides appropriate services to ensure that the NBS staff has optimum

accessibility to the scientific information of the world. The Office consists of the following

organizational units: Office of Standard Reference Data — Office of Information Activities — Office of Technical

Publications — Library — Office of International Relations.

1 Headquarters and Laboratories at Gaithersburg, Maryland, unless otherwise noted; mailing address Washington, D.C. 20234.

" Part of the Center for Radiation Research.

» Located at Boulder, Colorado 80302.

* Part of the Center for Building Technology.
Network User Information Support

Natlpnal Buresu o1 Standards MAY 1 4 1974

A. J. Neumann

Systems and Software Division , ] Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

\

Sponsored by

The National Science Foundation

18th and G, Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20550

^^^'*" °" Oo.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Frederick B. Dent, Secreiary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts, D/recfor

Issued December 1973
1

National Bureau of Standards Technical Note 802

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Tech. Note 802, 27 pages (Dec. 1973)

CODEN: NBTNAE

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1973

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. C13.46:802). Price 60 cents.
FOREWORD

This report is one of a series of publications produced

by the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology,

National Bureau of Standards, under Grant AG- 35 from the

National Science Foundation.

This grant supports a broad program of investigation

into the foundations of computer networking in support of

scientific and related educational efforts

.

A listing of completed and planned publications

produced by the Institute under this grant follows:

1. Primary Issues in User Needs

D. W. Fife

Chapter 10 in Networks for Research and

Education: Sharing of Computer and

Information Resources Nationwide

MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

Expected Publication Spring 19 74

2. Some Technical Considerations for Improved

Service to Computer Users

T. N. Pyke, Jr.

COMPCON, 19 7 3 Seventh Annual IEEE Computer Society

International Conference

3. Computer Networking Technology - A State-ofthe-Art Review

T. N. Pyke, Jr. and R. P. Blanc

COMPUTER Magazine

Computer Society of the IEEE, August 19 7 3

4. Review of Network Management Problems and Issues

A. J. Neumann

NBS Technical Note 795, October 1973

5. Annotated Bibliography of the Literature on

Resource Sharing Computer Networks

R. P. Blanc, I. W. Cotton, T. N. Pyke, Jr.,

and S. W. Watkins

NBS Special Publication 3 84, September 19 7 3

6. Network Management Survey

I. W. Cotton

NBS Technical Note 805, Fall 1973

111
7. User Procedures Standardization for Network Access

A. J. Neumann

NBS Technical Note 799, October 1973

8. Review of Computer Networking Technology

R. P. Blanc

NBS Technical Note 804, Fall 1973

9. Microeconomics and the Market for Computer Services

I. W. Cotton

Submitted for publication

10. Cost Analyses for Computer Communications

R. P. Blanc

NBS Report, Fall 1973

11. Network User Information Support

A. J. Neumann

NBS Technical Note 802, Fall 1973

12. Quality Service Assurance Experiments

R. Stillman

NBS Technical Note 800, Fall 1973

13. A Guide to Networking Terminology

A. J. Neumann

NBS Technical Note 803, Fall 1973

14. Research Considerations in Computer Networking

D. W. Fife

NBS Technical Note 801, Fall 1973

Acknowledgement

Critical review of this paper, and constructive

comments received from D. Fife, B. Lucas, and R. Stillman,

all of the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology,

National Bureau of Standards, are gratefully acknowledged.

IV
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pai

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. USER CHARACTERISTICS 2

3. USER ACTIVITIES REQUIRING SUPPORT 4

3.1 Training k

3.2 Operation 4

3.3 General Information 6

4. SUPPORT CAPABILITIES 7 4.1 Automated Support 8

4.1.1 Interactive Support 8

4.1.2 Support on Request g 4.1.3 Self-paced Assistance ]_0

4.1.4 User Feedback H

4.1.5 Support to On-Line Programming .... n

4.1.6 Information Retrieval Support .... 12

4.2 Documentation Support 12

4. 3 Human Support 14

5. NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE RESEARCH 16

6. REFERENCES 19

V

NETWORK USER INFORMATION SUPPORT

A. J. Neumann

With increasing interest in the development

of computer networks and the proliferation of

remote entry capability from user terminals

,

user support takes on new dimensions. Some

user characteristics are outlined as they affect

user support. User support requirements are

identified for training, terminal operation,

and general information to aid in network

operations. Support capabilities include online aids, information available on request,

and tutorial information available at the

terminal. User support also includes pertinent

documentation and human consultation. Areas

of future research are identified as: interactive language design, tutorial design,

integration of hard copy and on-line capabilities,

and further development of user feedback

capability.

Keywords: Computers; consultation; documentation;

information support; networks; on-line support;

user needs; user support.

1. INTRODUCTION

With increasing interest in the development of computer

networks , more and more users have an opportunity to

operate computers from a remote terminal. The location of

the Terminal may be such that the user becomes separated from

the "computer center environment," and from needed user

aids. These may be reference manuals, directories, and

specialized technical documentation, or human contact with

the computer operator, programmers, system analysts and

subject specialists.

The remote terminal operator still needs this support,

and this report summarizes these requirements from the

viewpoint of the user at a remote terminal.

System capabilities which can be brought to bear to

satisfy these requirements are automated support available

in an interactive mode or on request at a terminal, supporting documentation, and human consultation and assistance.

They can support the user during a variety of activities.

There may be training assistance to teach system operation
and operation of special applications packages , either

provided automatically or on explicit request. Also,

questions may arise which need to be answered immediately

and automated network support is designed to do just that.

Finally, the network is a useful communications medium to

provide news about network events , network status , and

summary of historical information of interest to the user.

This study details terminal user requirements, presently

available or desired system capabilities, and some of the

interactions between alternate possible methods of implementation, and trade-off possibilities. It will also identify

further research needs that could lead towards greater

network utility from the user's standpoint.

2. USER CHARACTERISTICS

There are many kinds of users in the network

environment. Kugel [1]*'* defines two major classes: The

"serious users," and "non-serious" users. The latter class

is rather impressed by the technology, the lights and

switches on the terminal, and is satisfied that there is a

response at all to an information request. The serious

user, on the other hand, is more critical and is quite

concerned with the utility of the answers supplied by the

system.

Another broad class of users are direct consumers of

user services, such as scientists, engineers, and technical

managers, who make direct use of the information or service

supplied by the network. In contrast to these "primary

users," are "secondary users," who act as intermediaries

and provide information received over the network to others.

They may be librarians or information scientists, or persons

which McCarn [2] calls "gatekeepers," i.e., people whom

other people ask for advice. Their common characteristic

is that they are interested in information, and that they

are a highly motivated clientele, interested in the dissemination of information. System support requirements differ

for serious and non-serious users. They also vary for

computer specialist users , or non-computer oriented professionals . Support requirements depend not only on the type of

user, but also on his experience and his exposure to a

particular system. Katter and McCarn [3] have defined

^Number in brackets refers to reference at end of report,
patterns of user reaction, which they call the "confidence

phase," the "insight phase," and the "incorporation phase."

During the first phase, the confidence phase, "the

user shifts from an uncertain, hesitant, somewhat anxious

approach to the terminal to a more relaxed attitude of ease

and optimism regarding his personal ability" to operate the

system. During the insight phase, the user shifts from

rote memorization of system use to learning about the underlying principles and potentials of the system. He begins

to explore the capabilities with a view towards his own

specific problems. Finally, during the incorporation phase,

the system becomes an integral part of his information

usage practices.

Marcus, et. al. , [4] have observed certain factors of

user behavior. They believe that these factors can cause

difficulty in instructing the user. They are paraphrased

here: (1) Users often fail to notice even the most explicit

instructions. (2) There is no one single method applicable

to all users. (3) If there are too many instructional

options, they are all ignored; the user prefers to be given

instructions only when he needs them. (4) Users do not like

to spend time in preparation for system use; they would

rather use the system. (5) Users are constrained by experience with previous manual systems and by training. There is

a barrier against learning anything new. (6) Some users

fear the machine, either because they think they may appear

foolish, or because they fear they may damage the system

(machine fear). Some users do not want to ask for advice

(people fear). (7) Users are overawed by the complexity of

the system, and "assume they need not or cannot understand

the system." Such attitudes impede learning.

With this perceived background of user behavior, the

authors offer some advice: (1) Users learn best by doing,

especially when the system responses reinforce user actions.

(2) Users work best on real problems, i.e., when they have a

real need for information. (3) General ideas are better

presented by examples than by general rules. (4) Human

personal instruction is best. On-line instruction is more

effective than off-line instruction, even when materials are

identical. (5) It is important for the user to know that he

cannot break the system. (6) A variety of instructional

materials is necessary so that the user can choose the one

most suitable to him. (7) Several learning strategies are

identified: some persons want to understand the system,

while others only want instructions on what to do; some want

to know everything about the system before they start, while

others want to learn as they go; and some understand

computers, while others don't.
3. USER ACTIVITIES REQUIRING SUPPORT

For the purposes of this study, user acrivities

requiring information support are grouped into three areas:

(1) training, (2) actual terminal operation, and (3) general

information needs. These requirements are met by a range of

system capabilities covering on-line automated processes,

documentation, and human support. Figure 1 shows a matrix

relating requirements and system capabilities. Rows of the

matrix show user requirements for training, terminal and

system operation, and general information support. The

columns summarize system capabilities, which can be supplied,

such as automated interactive, or "on request" support,

documentation, or human support. Each box of the matrix

contains products which are provided by the system to

satisfy the requirements. It provides a framework for the

following discussion.

3.1 Training

Training of users involves primarily learning how to

use the network facilities. This involves programming in

languages available on the network, information retrieval,

or other available services. Implicit in learning how to

use the system is a basic understanding of some functioning

of hardware, such as computers, input-output equipment and

communications equipment. Also required is some knowledge

of the operating systems in use on different host computers

,

communications handling programs, and those applications

programs and high level languages to be used by the user.

Training support requires great flexibility, both in

scope and depth of material presented to the student. The

material must be subdivided in such a manner that students

have the choice of selecting training aids to suit their

particular needs. There is close interaction in training

material for general system use, and use of specialized

applications, such as on-line programming, information

retrieval, or teleconferencing. New system users should

have an opportunity to learn system operations through a

combination of courses at a training location and by means

of sessions at an interactive terminal.

3,2 Operation

Operational networking activities cover the gamut of

available applications programs. They not only include a

variety of computational techniques and on-line programming,

but various information retrieval systems, text processing
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capabilities, and possibly in the not-too-distant future

some type of teleconferencing capability. The user of a

terminal would like to be assured of proper systems operation

at all times. He also will want to be in contact with

colleagues in his field of specialization, who may also be

network users, and with whom he may collaborate on common

problems

,

Support for these activities will have some common

elements, and some specialized capabilities. A user would

like to proceed speedily through his task, but receive

support as soon as needed. He also needs system status

information and session statistics, i.e., resources used,

usage times, and usage costs.

There is need for user manuals , again in flexible

formats, to support users with different levels of experience; possibly different manuals for different user levels

need to be prepared. Catalogs are needed regarding

availability of application programs, costs, sizes, machine

and programming language details for a variety of disciplines. Directories of "who is doing what where," with

names, addresses, telephone numbers, and a brief

description of efforts underway would help human communications in the scientific area.

The terminal user who is, at least geographically,

isolated from the computing center community needs human

intellectual support at several levels. He may be puzzled

by a trivial formatting problem, may require some programming

assistance, or may even have a technical problem which,

although not network-service related, could be solved by

another network participant.

3.3 General Information

In contrast to specific information pertaining to

training and system operation, there is a need for general

information which must be available to a user. For instance

he wants to be apprised of the status of the system, i.e.

,

the operability of all hardware and software components.

This may include such detail as specific knowledge of a

hardware configuration at a specified site, a software

specification release number, or some specifics on operating

procedures.

He further would like to be made aware of coming

hardware and software changes. He also would like to know

impending alterations of schedules, billing schemes, and

other procedural detail affecting his use of the system.
At times, he may want to receive summaries of usage

statistics, such as total cost per project, total cost per

month, total cost for the current year, and so on. He may

want to inquire about specific system capabilities at a

network site, such as availability of a - say - FORTRAN

compiler, a data base, or a computational package. In the

interest of efficient system use, he may want to compare

compile or run times for a specific program at available

sites.

With rapidly changing technology, systems are changing

rapidly, and networks are in a state of flux. Additions

are made, and some nodes may be disconnected. A systems

capability index would be invaluable in providing the

required capability data. Systems evaluations and reports

on systems performance would also be of interest in this

connection.

Advice may be desired on his own system, or on other

systems at other network nodes. Finally, just as in training,

there is need for general consulting assistance. Though not

of real-time urgency, a network user may want to discuss

network-related or discipline-related problems with a

colleague. He may want an answer to a question such as:

"Who is working on my specific problem, or a related

problem where?" The human mind still is the best tool to

solve problems of that nature.

4. SUPPORT CAPABILITIES

The user support requirements outlined in the previous

chapter may be satisfied by a variety of capabilities.

Starting with the most complex, an interactive system may

have a built-in dialog which is specifically designed for

user support. Other automated support may be available from

the terminal upon request. Both methods depend on time

constraints. If data are required as part of the operating

process, they must be furnished by the user--immediately

.

If a system reaction is required immediately, this too leads

to an automated implementation. On the other hand, if time

is not of the essence, or if information is not subject to

rapid change, conventional hard copy documentation may

satis'fy the need. Finally, certain information is best

handled by the human mind, and a consultant, i.e., human-tohuman dialog will best serve the need. In the following,

we will outline some of the possible implementations of

user support.
4.1 Automated Support

Whenever there are urgent time requirements and rapidly

changing data involved, automation of the information process

is a necessity. Automated support may be designed in two

modes: (1) It may be available as on-line instruction or

guidance, i.e., it is built into the interactive process

itself, or (2) it may be available at the request of the

user. He may use the latter facility as augmentation of the

on-line process, or he may use it exclusively for selfinstruction or use at his own speed.

These aids are useful at several operational levels

:

during the first system entry, during communication with a

host computer and its operating system, and during later use

of specific, specialized working systems such as information

retrieval, interactive programming and operation, text

processing, or teleconferencing.

M-.l.l Interactive Support . Interactive support is

based on the capability of the system to alert the user

to various system conditions, as part of normal operations or under conditions of faulty system operation.

These "system messages" may be simple prompting signals,

brief system messages , or complex statements in clear

English.

Prompting commands may be graphic symbols such as "*" or "?" having precise meanings such as "go ahead!" or

"repeat entry!". A large variety of prompting signals

exist in the networking environment [5], and the casual

user requires good system documentation, and often

step-by-step prompting in meaningful, clear English.

Experienced users, on the other hand, prefer a minimum

of prompting, but appreciate on-demand system assistance.

Other system messages during an interactive session may

indicate the present status of the system, or anticipated

system changes of interest to the user. Anticipated

changes in system availability often are indicated by

messages such as: "System will be down from Friday

23:00 through Monday 09:00." It is common to indicate

the present version of system software, and in some

cases system configurations, port number, or other

hardware and software details, to aid the user in

tracing malfunctioning of operations.

Syntactic analysis of user entries provides error

messages in a variety of forms , ranging from the very

specific to rather cryptic symbology. A few typical

8
examples are: WRONG USER NUMBER, ILLEGAL PASSWORD,

FILE NON EXISTENT, SYSTEM NOT AVAILABLE, WHAT?, T CAN'T,

EH?, or just plain "?".

User guidance for error correction may also be provided.

For instance, if a line communications error is

detected, the system requests retransmission by the

user, by printing: "Sorry, say again."

M-.1.2 Support on Request . Most systems provide

additional assistance, beyond the immediate interactive

process. During a terminal session, for instance, a

user may want to request a summary of all available

system commands including meanings and related procedural detail.

Entry of a "?" by ARPANET users, while in a command

mode, will in some systems provide a listing of all

top level commands , if no previous command entry has

been made. At lower levels, subordinate commands will

similarly be listed. The command "Where am I," causes

a printout of the local job summary, system in use,

user terminal and remote host connection. In most

systems, INFORMATION, or HELP commands by the user

will provide additional instructional material on the

terminal display. Detail of content, or sequence of

display often is variable to meet varying user needs.

In some systems, entry of the command CATALOG may

produce a listing of all existing user files under a

specific account number, and also may indicate the

availability of these files. Some may be "public,"

and available to all authorized users; some may be

"private," and only available to specific users. Other

information available on request deals with currently

active network nodes, nodes presently not in operation,

listings of program available in the public program

files, and directories.

Good hard- copy documentation backup is required for

automated on-line capability and the query capability.

Hard-copy and automated capabilities need to be well

integrated with each other to be most effective. Online tutorials may want to refer to passages in the

manual text, while manual chapters may refer to specific

portions of the on-line exercises and drills.

ARPANET, a nation-wide distributed research network

sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, a

U. S. Government Agency.

9
Most systems provide a variety of format options

,

abbreviated system commands , short login sequences and

abbreviated tutorials. These features are welcomed by

the experienced user.

4.1.3 Self-paced Assistance . Another form of tutorial

assistance permits the user to explore the system at

his own speed. This method follows the methodologies

developed in "Computer Aided Instruction" (CAI). Software and (Computer requirements for tutorial capability

may however be quite sizeable. The following data

were quoted for the INTREX^ system [6].

The interactive part or dialog handling

program requires about 15,000 bytes of

computer storage. There are 7 5 types of

messages, each in a long and short form,

which are made up of about 30 message

fragments. The message fragment file requires about 19,0 00 bytes. The reference

guide requires about 80,000 bytes of

storage, or more than half of the interactive capability.

The design of tutorial assistance programs faces the

same difficulties that exist in development of computeraided instruction. Requirements differ for each

individual, and the tutorial designer cannot anticipate

all variations of scope, depth, and ordering of questions which may arise some time in the future. Printing

of straight text may possibly be done more economically

by conventional offset processes, rather than by

terminal printing. On the other hand, immediate

availability of authentic instructional hard- copy does

have its advantages.

Much work has been done on computer-aided instruction

and further applications in network support will

undoubtedly take place. The computer is a versatile

tool for presenting information to a student, recording

answers, reviewing progress and modifying the course.

It is not a substitute for a teacher, but in conjunction

with a teacher it may perform useful functions. One

large manufacturer has used the technique to provide

field engineers with a uniform background on fundamentals before bringing them together for more advanced

2

INTREX, an automated library system developed at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

10
training in the classroom [7]. Meadow claims a

reduction of training costs in this connection [8].

There are many problems yet to be solved, the biggest

being course writing.

4.1.M- User Feedback . An important facet of on-line

operation is the capability of instant user feedback

to the system. This is useful for error reporting [14],

where a user may communicate a system malfunction and

related information to a central facility, which would

collect error statistics. A host node could then be

charged with solution of problems of system malfunction.

Another type of feedback which has great merit is the

ability of the terminal user to indicate satisfaction

regarding various system features, and to suggest

improvements

.

4.1.5 Support to On- Line Programming . One of the major

advantages of timesharing systems is the capability of

on-line debugging. Some automated assistance is

available in most systems. Syntactic analysis of user

commands is a main feature of such assistance. An

invalid command is recognized, the user is informed,

and the command is not executed. Frequent typical

errors are format errors or misspellings. It also is

possible to make reference to a data item for which a

value has not been established. An instruction:

SET X = Y + 5, may elicit a computer response: Y = ?,

indicating that no value has been assigned to this

variable. The extent to which such command analysis

has been implemented varies. The limits to which such

analysis is technically possible are still unknown, and

are studied in the general field of structural linguistics. The extent to which an error is indicated to the

user also varies among systems. A command: PRINT X,

may cause a system response "?" or WHAT. Another

system may respond: FORMAT ERROR. A third system may

say: INCORRECT COMMAND. The question of how much

error diagnosis should be designed into the system is

still a controversial one. From the programmer's viewpoint, complete error diagnosis and instructions how to

correct the error would be desirable. But the designer

of a syntactic analysis program can only provide for

recognition of an error; he usually cannot predetermine

the cause of the error.

One of the leading timesharing systems provides about

70 system messages to the user, of which about 2 are

labeled "self-explanatory" in the instruction manual.

A few typical self-explanatory system messages are:

WRONG PASSWORD, INPUT ERROR, RETYPE, NO SUCH FILE, etc.

11
other messages —although in plain English—are subject

to program and system restrictions, and are open to

interpretation by the programmer. Tutorial assistance

on program debugging will be useful and necessary

services to be provided in future systems.

4.1.6 Information Retrieval Support . Several typical

on-line ^ service commands from the MEDLINE^ information

system illustrate support to information retrieval

The EXPLAI^I command allows the user to obtain on-line

explanations of any command or program message.

NEIGHBOR provides index terms that are alphabetic

neighbors of the search term, TREE causes a thesaurus

display of terms related hierarchically to the specified

term, and NEWS provides the user with announcements.

Some instructions are issued automatically such as:

IF IN TROUBLE AT ANY TIME TYPE "HELP" or DO YOU WISH A

FURTHER SUMMARY OF OPERATING FEATURES? TYPE YES OR NO

AND CARRIAGE RETURN. A positive answer then provides an

initial summary of operating features. After about 15

lines of print, the system asks: CONTINUE PRINTING?

(YES/NO). This permits the user to terminate the

instructive session at regular intervals.

Similarly, in the BASIS^ system, alphabetically adjacent

search terms are listed, if a term not in the alpnabetic

index is entered. On-line orientation is provided by a

routine question during the early phase of the log- in

procedure: DO YOU DESIRE OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS YES

OR NO? A YES answer then provides user assistance.

4.2 Documentation Support

While the previous section has described existing

automated support capabilities in some detail, this chapter

deals with conventional hard-copy documentation support.

Individual computer manufacturers provide generous

numbers of user's and operator's manuals, and other reference

material.. These publications vary both as to scope and detail

provided, as is proper to meet the needs of different user

communities. In the networking environment, however,, one user

3 MEDLINE, an on-line medical information system, sponsored by

the National Library of Medicine.

4 ... . . BASIS, an information retrieval system providing access to

several data bases, developed at the Battelle Institute,

Columbus, Ohio.

12
may want to work with terminals of different make, computers

from different manufacturers , and a variety of communications

equipment either furnished by the common communications

carrier or by commercial vendors. He now faces documentation

with different formats, reference structures, manual titles

and sources and this creates problems. He may be flooded

with volumes of paper, he may have problems organizing the

material for instant use, and he may find it difficult to

update his collection.

A useful tool which is available from most systems is a

little "pocket size" system summary or system guide. It

provides an overview of access methods, systems commands,

operating hours, costs, telephone numbers, and other useful

information. These guides are most helpful to the user and

are relatively cheap to produce, update, and distribute.

From a networking standpoint, it would be useful to develop,

some time in the future, integrated pocket guides listing

service features available on all network service facilities.

They might follow the precedent of the integrated airline

guide which lists in a concise fashion all airline schedules

for the top 3 3 traffic producing cities, is updated monthly,

and is available on a subscription basis from a non-airline

publisher.

Introduction of automation is beginning to change the

documentation pattern. In training, conventional programmer

or operator training material no longer meets the needs of

the sophisticated user.

Also, some of the training can now be done at the

remote terminal, either by programmed instruction (CAD, or

by the opportunity for self-teaching and experimentation.

The distinction between classroom training and on-the-job

training is shifting from the classroom to the user terminal

environment. This requires a new approach to meet the

changing needs of the remote terminal user. Texts need to

be integrated with on-line support, as previously outlined,

and references both from the automated system to hard-copy

manuals , and from the manuals to the systems procedures

should be provided. They should be designed to facilitate

learning of system operation as well as aiding a skilled

terminal user in the use of new system features , either

new to him or recently introduced. There is a fruitful

area for further investigative work in this hard- copy, online interface area. Tradeoff studies and experimentation

are required to determine the overall cost effectiveness

and utility of total user information support. New formats

may have to be developed, possibly in loose leaf form, to

permit a user to collect all necessary documentation in a

practical and useful manner. Material should be integrated,

13
indexed with the user's viewpoint in mind, must be easily

updateable, and must indicate currency of each item in the

collection. Updating through the terminal, provision of

announcements of new material available, including a simple

order form, are some of the possibilities which should be

explored.

Other material required are system directories, listing

users both alphabetically and classified by field of interest

and location. Also of use would be catalogs of available

software packages, classified by name, machine capability

required, and location.

Similarly, the preparation of brochures given a systems

overview might be of benefit to potential new users.

Newsletters, geared to the needs of different

communities and distributed on a periodic basis would be

a welcome tool for the total networking community. A

user newsletter would announce new capabilities, resources,

schedules, pricing schemes and applications available on

the network. A management newsletter would address policy

issues, matters of legal concern, financing schemes, system

performance characteristics and other matters of interest to

the management community.

These publications would form a link between the human

support capability discussed in the next chapter and the

continuously improving automated system capabilities.

4.3 Human Support

The advent of automation has opened new vistas in the

field of processing of text and of intellectual tasks. The

history of the past 2 years regarding language translation

and language analysis is well documented and need not be

discussed further here. One thought is appropriate, however:

no machine has yet even approached some of the innate

human capabilities. The diversification of human memory,

the ability to integrate myriads of facts, suppositions,

premises and the dynamics of human information processing

are in no way matched by efforts in mechanization, automation

and machine processing.

At this point of time, even the most automated

information system still requires human aid, human intervention and human support, especially at the interface of

automated systems with people.

The first exposure of a user to a networking capability

is some instructional phase. He may take a programming

14
course in a conventional classroom, or through the medium of

programmed learning, or he may learn to program by himself

with the aid of training manuals , textbooks , and the

terminal.

A good teacher in the classroom goes far in making the

new subject palatable to the student. Textbooks have to be

written by knowledgeable people, and programmed instruction

material to be used with computers similarly has to be

prepared by subject-matter experts. It is well recognized

that the main bottleneck in the useful application of

automated instruction is a lack of knowledge on how to

prepare good material and a dearth of good "course writers."

Human support is equally important and needed during

the operational phase. In a dynamic on-line situation,

human experience and knowledge are best transferred to a user by direct human support. Face-to-face advice at the

terminal will go a long way in diagnosing problems, suggesting remedies, or outlining approaches towards a possiblesolution. The possibility exists to have two terminal

operators at different locations work together on a common

problem. Although the immediate personal contact is lacking,

a consultant still can give quick and direct assistance in

this case. Another means of providing remote human assistance is by means of a "hot line," where the terminal operator

may have instant voice access to a consultant via a direct

telephone connection.

For both teachers and consultants, several levels of

competence should be available, covering the available

technology, including hardware, operating systems, communications, and other general purpose software. Similarly,

assistance will be appreciated in the special interest areas

of the users. A terminal operator often becomes "format

bound," or "algorithm bound," at a level of system operation

where he loses the overview. A consultant can bring his

experience to bear on the problem and can assist with

problem identification, problem diagnosis, and guides to

solutions. This saves the time and energy of the user, and

helps to maintain interest, especially during the "confidence"

phase of system operation.

As far as general information support is concerned,

human consultation may provide answers to questions which

initially cannot be precisely ' formulated. Human support may

also provide answers which it may not be advisable to

document. A consultant may provide a critical view of

present user's efforts, or he may provide a critical overview of the field, leading to a reorientation of the user's

approach. He may provide evaluative capability and also may

15
provide referral to other workers in the field, to answer

the typical question: "Who is doing what in my speciality?"

Although organized general efforts exist to provide information on names, projects, location, etc., the network

consultant will have the viewpoint of the network user, and

will be able to provide specialized guidance as well as broad referral capability.

5. NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE RESEARCH

User support in automated interactive systems in the

networking environment will become increasingly important.

This report has summarized some of the requirements and has

shown diverse methods for providing user support, ranging

from assistance during the interactive session through

documentation and human support.

Several problem areas emerge. Proper design of support

capabilities needs to be addressed in an integrated manner,

providing support when and where needed on a highly individualistic basis, but at the same time considering the overall

system economies of preservation of processing and storage

capacity, both in the automated system and in hard-copy

production and distribution. Major interest should focus on:

interactive language design, tutorial design, integration

of hard- copy documentation and on-line printing, and further

exploitation of user feedback.

System designers have given considerable thought to the

language design problem. Katter and McCarn [9] make the

point that there seems to exist a certain "response press"

which the network . terminal exerts on the user during the

early phases of use. "This sense of pressure from the

terminal can probably be heightened or diminished by the

nature of the readiness cue from the system that it can

accept input. Words such as READY, NEXT, and GO might cause

more neophyte distress than USER or DONE." They are also

concerned with providing the system with "graduated [human]

memory support" for various stages of human learning.

Ershov [10] opposes the use of natural language. He

states : Organizing the man-machine dialogue, one must

(also temporarily) avoid unnecessary personification (humanization) of the machine. In

particular, excessive fragments of natural

languages as a linguistic means for dialogue

appears to be ineffective because it overloads

memory and channels and produces delusions in

the user.

16
He later elaborates, saying that application of natural

languages in contact with the machine has been harmful, both

for the professional and non-professional user:

For the non-professional man it is harmful because the

application of natural language increases the tendency

towards machine personification and towards extrapolation of the experience within inadmissable limits.

For the professional man, because a symbolic language

is as yet more laconic, more neutral, and can more

easily be subjected to specialized mnemonization and

selection of dialects.

One common difficulty users are experiencing with

system messages is their inability to determine the source

of the message or the system level. In a timesharing system

using one computer, a user may alternately communicate in

the command mode, the working system mode, or with a subsystem. Various system layers often recognize different

sets of commands, and after an intensive work session at the

terminal, a user often cannot keep track of the program

level and the appropriate command structure. This could be

remedied by level indicators in system messages and by some

standardization of system messages and command. If

standardization efforts are initiated, proper design of a

command language will, however, require some fundamental

studies, such as the appropriateness of using plain language

words and applying purely symbolic representations in

command languages.

Tutorial design is closely related to the problem of

computer aided instruction. Interactive system designers

should profit from both positive and negative results

obtained in this field, Nickerson [11] in a survey article

challenging human factors research paraphrases Holmes [12]:

"The need of the future is not so much for computer-oriented

people as for people-oriented computers," Many authors in

the field of man-terminal interaction are still "computeroriemied people." There is need for inter-disciplinary

efforts, including computer science, linguistics, psychology,

and other human- oriented disciplines.

Documentation integration has been addressed very little,

yet this may become an even greater problem as time goes on

than it is now, Magnino [13] stated that: "There was no

significant literature on combination manuals in 1970, and

this author believes that there is a significant gap in our

development here that must be filled if terminal systems are

to be properly exploited." With the advent of networking,

this problem undoubtedly will be compounded, and research

in this area will enhance system usage and utility.

17
User feedback provides a powerful tool, not only for

the systems developer, but for the system operator, and

future system planner as well. A real opportunity exists

now to measure not only system performance, but user reaction

to system capability. Further research on user feedback

requirements and system capabilities will contribute to

improved networking operations.
6. REFERENCES

1. Kugel, P.

p. 2 40 in Interactive Bibliographic Search

D. E. Walker, Editor

AFIPS Press, Montvale, New Jersey

1971

2. McCarn, D. B.

p. 2 92 in Interactive Bibliographic Search

Ibid.

3. Katter, R. V. and McCarn, D. B.

"AIM-TWX—An Experimental On- Line Bibliographic

Retrieval System"

Ibid. , p. 12 6

4. Marcus, R. S. , Benenfeld, A. R. and Kugel, P.

"The User Interface for the INTREX Retrieval

System"

Ibid . , p. 159

5. Neumann, A. J.

User Procedures Standardization for Network

Access

NBS Technical Note 799

October 19 7 3

6. Marcus, R. S. , et. al.

Op . cit . , p. 190

7. Long, H. S. and Schwartz, H. A.

"The Potentials of Computer-Aided Instruction

in Industry" (as quoted in [8])

Training Directors Journal , September 19 6 6

8. Meadow, Charles T.

Man-Machine Communications , p. 227

Wiley Interscience

9. Katter, R. V. and McCarn, D. B.

Op. cit. , p. 12 8

10. Ershov, A. P.

"Time Sharing: The Need for Re-Orientation"

INFORMATION PROCESSING-6

8

, p. 1615

North Holland Publishing Company

Amsterdam, 19 69

19
11. Nickerson, R. S.

"Man- Computer Interaction: A Challenge for

Human Factors Research"

Ergonomics , vol. 12, No. 4

July 19 6 9

12. Holmes, D. C.

"Computers in Oil 1967-1987"

Computer Yearbook and Directory , 2nd ed.

F. H. Grille, Editor

American Data Processing

Detroit

13. Magnino, J. J., Jr.

"Document Retrieval and Dissemination"

Annual Review of Information Science and

Technology , vol. 6

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

Chicago, 19 71

14. Stillman, R.

Quality Service Assurance Experiments

NBS Technical Note

In preparation

U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1 973--5't2-652/l I

20
FORM NBS-114A (1-71) U.S. DEF-T. OF COMM. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. NBS TN-802

2. Gov't Accession

No.

3. Recipient's Accession No.

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. Publication Date December 1973

Network User Information Support 6. Performing Organization Code

7. AUTHOR(S)

A. J. Neumann 8. Performing Organization

10. Project/Task/ Work Unit No. 640-2415

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

11. Contract/Grant No. NSF AG-350

12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address National Science Foundation

1800 G Street, NW

Washington, DC 20550

13. Type of Report & Period Covered Interim

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

16- ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.)

With increasing interest in the development of computer networks

and the proliferation of remote entry capability from user ^ terminals

,

user support takes on new dimensions. Some user characteristics are

outlined as they affect user support. User support requirements are

identified for training, terminal operation, and general information to

aid in network operations. Support capabilities include on-line aids,

information available on request, and tutorial information available at

the terminal. User support also includes pertinent documentation and

human consultation. Areas of future research are identified as:

interactive language design, tutorial design, integration of hard- copy

and on-line capabilities, and further development of user feedback

capability.

•' KEY WORDS (Alphabetical order, separated by semicolons)

Computers; consultation; documentation; information support; networks;

on-line support; user needs; user support.

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