Empirical User Modeling: Command Usage Analyses for Deriving Models of Users

Abstract

Models of users' procedural knowledge were derived from the records of command usage obtained from nine experienced users of the Unix operating system. Pairwise transitions between user command entries were analyzed for the purpose of identifying salient command patterns associated with task-based user behaviors. Structural models of command usage patterns were obtained from Pathfinder network scaling of Unix command events. The network representation of command patterns was evaluated as a method for abstracting users' procedural knowledge. These network scaling solutions revealed patterns that were common both within and across users' command usage.