Betanews has posted a 6 page study into the useability of Microsoft Windows XP, nice read! Below a Blurb:
Bloomsburg University students were recruited for this research from communication classes. Student volunteers were randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 was asked to complete a series of 30 tasks using the Windows 98 Operating System. Group 2 was asked to complete the same series of tasks using the new Windows XP Operating System. Students were assembled in a Bloomsburg University Computer Lab, the Windows 98 Group separately from Windows XP Group. This research was conducted between September 27 and October 4, 2001.
As instructions for each item were given to participants, words were carefully selected so as to not "tip off" research subjects as to how they might do each task. For example, rather than tell participants to "shut down the computer," they were told "you are done using your computer for the day and don"t want to leave it on overnight. Please do what is necessary to do so."