Evaluation of list vs. paragraph text format on search time for warning symptoms in a product manual (pp. 434-438)

Published research comparing different types of format in product manuals using perfonnance measures is limited. As the availability of information mushrooms. the ways to best relay information to users has become increasingly important. Documentation designed to minimize search time while maximizing knowledge acquisition could benefit users. The present study examined the effect of two types of text format (list versus paragraph) with the same semantic context on the time to search and fmd a symptom of Toxic Shoclc Syndrome (TSS) in a diaphragm product manual. Total time to examine the overall manual and the specific page with the TSS symptoms were recorded. After this task. the manual was removed and participants were asked to write out as many TSS symptoms as they could remember. Results indicate that the arrangement of symptoms in a list fonnat significantly decmased search time compared to paragraph format when viewing the symptoms page. No significant difference was found between the two formats for overall examination .time of the manual or for the nwnber of symptoms recalled. The results indicate that list fonnat can benefit users seeking information that is embedded in other text