Redesigning and testing a work order form

An order form used in a university printing office was evaluated, redesigned, and tested to determine whether the original or the revised version could be completed more quickly and accurately. Subjects filled out one version of the form for four hypothetical printing tasks. Half the subjects had previous experience using the original version and half did not. The performance of both groups was better on the new version, as measured by the time they needed to complete the forms and the nature of the errors they committed. An analysis of thinking-aloud protocols is presented to explain the apparent superiority of the re-designed form.