computer science

NGOMSL

NGOMSL is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NGOMSL rather than just read about it. In short: NGOMSL (Natural GOMS Language) is a variation of the GOMS technique in human computer interaction. Overview Natural GOMS Language technique was developed by David Kieras in 1988.

Key takeaways

NGOMSL belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NGOMSL to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGOMSL from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGOMSL (Natural GOMS Language) is a variation of the GOMS technique in human computer interaction.

Overview

Natural GOMS Language technique was developed by David Kieras in 1988. The motivation was to make GOMS/CCT (cognitive complexity theory) simple to use, and still keep the power and flexibility of standard GOMS. This was necessary because GOMS did not have very well defined semantics. This lack of definition meant that two equally competent evaluators could do evaluations on the same system and come up with very different results. Kieras's result was the development of high-level (natural language) syntax for GOMS representation with directions for doing a GOMS evaluation. The recipe is referred to as a "top-down, breadth-first" expansion. The user's high-level goals are unfolded until only operators remain. Generally operators are considered to be keystroke-level operations, but that is not a rigid requirement. Since NGOMSL is based on CCT, it has certain properties that make it unique. NGOMSL inherits the ability to not only give estimations for execution times but it can also estimate the time taken to learn how to use the system. It also, however, shares one of the major disadvantages all of the previous methods. NGOMSL models user interaction as a serial operation. One operation occupies the user completely, there is no multitasking, which makes NGOMSL inappropriate for analyzing tasks where the users are under time pressure, highly practiced and, in reality, do act in a parallel fashion.

See also Human information processor model CPM-GOMS KLM-GOMS CMN-GOMS

References

Notations This article incorporates text from Dr. G. Abowd: GOMS Analysis Techniques - Final Essay, which has been released into GFDL by its author (see old version of Talk:GOMS). Judith Reitman Olson, Gary M. Olson: The Growth of Cognitive Modeling in Human-Computer Interaction Since GOMS, in: R. M. Baecker, J. Grudin, W. A. S. Buxton, S. Greenberg: Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: Towards the Year 2000. 1995, San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann. Kieras, David (1996). "A Guide to GOMS Model Usability Evaluation using NGOMSL" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-11-23.

Footnotes

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGOMSL

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGOMSL claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NGOMSL before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NGOMSL ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NGOMSL

In research: NGOMSL appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NGOMSL in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NGOMSL is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Human–computer interaction, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGOMSL outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NGOMSL in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGOMSL means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NGOMSL out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGOMSL in simple terms?

NGOMSL (Natural GOMS Language) is a variation of the GOMS technique in human computer interaction. Overview Natural GOMS Language technique was developed by David Kieras in 1988.

Why does NGOMSL matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NGOMSL?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NGOMSL.