Chapter 5. Detecting Timing Differences

Understanding the ability to detect timing differences is critical to improving many aspects of human-computer interaction. Beneath a particular threshold, for example, differences become too small for human detection. Investing time, effort, and resources to deliver a difference that may not be noticeable might not be worthwhile. This chapter introduces basic concepts in human detection of timing changes to help define performance objectives, such as setting performance goals and determining regression allowance.

Telling the Difference

You are writing the specification for the next version of your CD-burning software. A particular feature of the current version of the software is taking 20 seconds to complete. ...

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