The effect of computer response time on user performance and satisfaction: A preliminary investigation

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of delays in the response of the computer on the performance of the user and his satisfaction with the system. While it is generally assumed that computer responses should be no longer than several seconds, the present study showed no effect of 5- or 10-sec fixed or variable delays on subjects debugging a simple BASIC program. These results have important implications for the design of large, multiuser timesharing systems.