Abstract

This paper reports on recent research into the usability of editing software for structured documents. The objective is to identify why markup-based editing is regarded as "too difficult", and to investigate the potential for changes to the prevailing interface paradigms which might address the problem. The research analyzed requests posted to Usenet and mailing lists; the requirements of a pilot group of XML users; and the features of 25 structured-document editors. The results attempt to quantify changes to training patterns as well as to interface design.