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Intro to Cognitive Science
Table of Contents
Unit 13 Overview: Cognitive Science in HCI and Engineering
13.1 Principles of human-computer interaction
13.2 Cognitive ergonomics and user interface design
13.3 Cognitive load theory and instructional design
13.4 Assistive technologies and cognitive enhancement

Cognitive ergonomics in user interface design focuses on optimizing how people interact with technology. It considers our mental abilities and limits to create interfaces that are easy to use and understand. This approach aims to reduce mental effort and frustration while improving efficiency.

Key principles include simplifying interfaces, using clear language, and organizing information effectively. Designers assess visual complexity, information processing demands, and memory load to create user-friendly interfaces. The goal is to enhance performance by minimizing cognitive effort and supporting error prevention.

Cognitive Ergonomics in User Interface Design

Role of cognitive ergonomics

  • Optimizes interaction between users and technology by considering human cognitive abilities (perception, attention, memory) and limitations
  • Reduces cognitive load by simplifying interfaces and improving user performance (efficiency, effectiveness)
  • Applies cognitive science principles (decision-making, problem-solving) to user interface design
  • Enhances user experience and satisfaction by reducing mental effort and frustration

Minimizing cognitive load in interfaces

  • Simplify user interfaces by minimizing unnecessary elements and clutter (excessive graphics, irrelevant information)
  • Use clear and concise language that is easy to understand (avoid jargon, use plain English)
  • Provide consistent and intuitive navigation across the interface (menus, buttons, links)
  • Organize information effectively using hierarchical structures and categories (headings, subheadings, sections)
    • Prioritize important information by placing it prominently (top of page, bold text)
    • Provide visual cues (icons, color coding) and feedback (progress bars, confirmation messages)
  • Support user goals and tasks by identifying and understanding user needs and objectives (user research, personas)
    • Provide task-relevant information and features that help users complete their objectives (search, filters, recommendations)
    • Streamline workflows and reduce steps required to accomplish tasks (autofill, one-click actions)

Cognitive demands of interface elements

  • Assess visual complexity of the interface
    1. Consider the number and density of elements on the screen (buttons, images, text blocks)
    2. Evaluate the use of color, contrast, and whitespace to create visual hierarchy and focus attention
  • Analyze information processing requirements placed on the user
    • Determine the amount and complexity of information presented at once (data tables, charts, paragraphs)
    • Consider the need for comparison, calculation, or interpretation of information (product specs, pricing, reviews)
  • Evaluate memory load imposed by the interface
    • Short-term memory demands for navigation and task completion (remembering menu options, form fields)
    • Long-term memory demands for learning and retention of interface functionality (keyboard shortcuts, gestures)
  • Assess decision-making and problem-solving demands
    • Number and complexity of options and choices presented to the user (product variations, customization settings)
    • Availability of guidance and support for making decisions (recommendations, tutorials, customer support)

Applying Cognitive Ergonomics Principles

Principles for improved user performance

  • Minimize memory load on the user
    • Provide visual cues and reminders (tooltips, labels, icons)
    • Use recognition rather than recall by showing options instead of requiring memorization (autocomplete, recent searches)
    • Offer context-sensitive help and guidance relevant to the current task (tooltips, chatbots, FAQs)
  • Reduce cognitive effort required from the user
    • Automate complex tasks and calculations when possible (unit conversions, shipping costs, taxes)
    • Provide useful defaults and presets to minimize input (default shipping address, payment method)
    • Offer shortcuts and accelerators for frequent tasks (keyboard shortcuts, macros, templates)
  • Enhance learnability of the interface
    • Provide clear and concise instructions and tutorials for key tasks (onboarding, feature tours)
    • Use familiar and consistent design patterns across the interface (standard icons, layouts, interactions)
    • Offer progressive disclosure of advanced features to avoid overwhelming new users (simplified vs advanced views)
  • Support error prevention and recovery
    • Provide clear and informative error messages that explain the problem and solution (invalid input, required fields)
    • Offer suggestions and solutions for common errors (did you mean X? try Y instead)
    • Allow easy reversal of actions and undo functionality to encourage exploration (undo button, confirmation dialogs)

Key Terms to Review (21)

Cognitive Load: Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. It plays a crucial role in how we process and understand information, influencing our ability to learn, solve problems, and perform tasks. Understanding cognitive load helps in designing effective learning environments and user interfaces, as it directly impacts how information is presented and processed by individuals.
Affordance: Affordance refers to the properties of an object or environment that indicate how it can be used, shaping user interactions based on perceived capabilities. It connects closely with the understanding that cognition is not just in the mind but also influenced by the physical context and objects around us, highlighting the relationship between perception and action in human behavior. The concept also emphasizes how design can enhance usability by aligning with users' intuitive understanding of an object’s function.
Progressive Disclosure: Progressive disclosure is a design principle that involves presenting information gradually to users, rather than overwhelming them with all the information at once. This technique helps manage user attention and cognitive load by revealing content in a logical sequence, ensuring that users can focus on relevant tasks without feeling lost or overwhelmed. It’s particularly useful in user interface design, allowing users to access more complex options only when they are ready to engage with them.
Usability testing: Usability testing is a technique used to evaluate how easy and user-friendly a product or system is by observing real users as they interact with it. This process helps identify any usability problems, understand user behavior, and gather feedback for improving the design. It plays a critical role in cognitive ergonomics and user interface design, ensuring that systems meet the needs and expectations of users while enhancing their overall experience.
Heuristic Evaluation: Heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection method where a small group of evaluators examine the user interface of a system and judge its compliance with recognized usability principles, known as heuristics. This method is typically quick and cost-effective, allowing designers to identify potential usability issues before extensive user testing. By relying on established heuristics, evaluators can highlight areas where the user experience may be improved, contributing to better cognitive ergonomics and overall user interface design.
Error prevention: Error prevention refers to strategies and techniques used in design to minimize the likelihood of user mistakes during interactions with systems. By anticipating potential user errors and implementing features that guide users away from making those mistakes, systems become more efficient and user-friendly. This concept is crucial in cognitive ergonomics and user interface design, where understanding how users think and behave allows designers to create interfaces that reduce the risk of errors.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of recommendations developed to ensure that web content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. These guidelines help create web pages that can be easily navigated and understood by people with various impairments, thus promoting inclusivity in digital spaces. WCAG emphasizes the importance of cognitive ergonomics and user interface design by providing practical criteria for making content perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
Graphical user interface (GUI): A graphical user interface (GUI) is a visual way for users to interact with electronic devices through graphical elements like windows, icons, and buttons, instead of text-based commands. GUIs are designed to enhance usability and accessibility, making it easier for users to navigate software applications and perform tasks intuitively. They play a critical role in cognitive ergonomics by aligning design with human cognitive capabilities and limitations.
Command line interface (CLI): A command line interface (CLI) is a text-based user interface that allows users to interact with a computer system by typing commands into a console or terminal. Unlike graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which rely on visual elements like windows and icons, CLIs require users to input specific commands to perform tasks. This interaction style can enhance efficiency for experienced users and is often preferred for automating repetitive tasks.
User-centered design: User-centered design (UCD) is a design philosophy and process that focuses on the needs, preferences, and limitations of end-users at every stage of the design process. It aims to create products and systems that are not only functional but also intuitive and enjoyable to use, ensuring that the user experience is prioritized. This approach emphasizes user feedback, iterative testing, and an understanding of cognitive processes to improve the overall effectiveness of user interfaces.
Interaction Design: Interaction design is the discipline focused on creating engaging interfaces with well-thought-out behaviors. It centers around the ways users interact with digital products, aiming to facilitate a positive user experience by considering how users perceive and respond to design elements. The goal is to make interactions intuitive and efficient, ensuring that the technology serves the user's needs effectively.
Visual Complexity: Visual complexity refers to the level of detail, variety, and intricacy present in visual stimuli that affects how easily information is processed and understood. It plays a crucial role in user interface design by influencing users' cognitive load and their ability to navigate and interact with digital systems. Striking the right balance between simplicity and complexity is essential for optimizing user experience and ensuring that information is conveyed effectively.
Mental Model: A mental model is a cognitive representation that helps individuals understand and predict how things work in the real world. These internal frameworks allow people to interpret information, make decisions, and solve problems by simulating scenarios based on their past experiences and knowledge. Mental models play a critical role in cognitive ergonomics and user interface design, as they help designers create systems that align with users' expectations and understanding.
Feedback: Feedback refers to the information provided to a user about their actions or performance in a system, allowing them to adjust their behavior or decisions accordingly. In user interface design and human-computer interaction, feedback is crucial as it helps users understand the consequences of their actions, confirms that their inputs have been received, and guides them through processes. Effective feedback enhances usability by creating a more intuitive experience for the user.
Consistency: Consistency refers to the principle of uniformity in design elements and interactions, ensuring that similar functions are represented in similar ways. This concept plays a critical role in making user interfaces intuitive and easy to navigate, reducing cognitive load for users. When elements are consistent, users can predict outcomes and understand how to interact with the interface more effectively.
User experience (UX): User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience a person has when interacting with a product, system, or service, particularly in terms of how enjoyable and efficient that interaction is. It encompasses various aspects, including usability, accessibility, and satisfaction, which contribute to how users perceive their interaction with a user interface. A strong focus on UX is essential in cognitive ergonomics and user interface design to ensure that products not only meet user needs but also align with cognitive processes.
Cognitive ergonomics: Cognitive ergonomics focuses on how people interact with systems and technology, emphasizing the design of user interfaces that align with human cognitive processes. It involves understanding how users perceive, remember, and think, which is crucial for creating effective and user-friendly designs that enhance performance and reduce errors. By applying principles of cognitive ergonomics, designers can improve user experience and ensure that systems are intuitive and efficient.
Information Processing: Information processing refers to the way in which humans and machines take in, store, manipulate, and retrieve information. This concept emphasizes the transformation of data into meaningful insights, and is essential in understanding cognitive functions, problem-solving, and decision-making. The study of information processing also highlights how different disciplines contribute to understanding mental processes, design effective interfaces, and improve human-computer interactions.
Usability: Usability refers to the ease of use and efficiency with which users can interact with a product or system, ensuring a satisfying experience that meets their needs. It encompasses various factors, including the intuitiveness of the interface, the accessibility of features, and the overall user satisfaction, all of which play crucial roles in enhancing user engagement and performance.
Anchoring bias: Anchoring bias is a cognitive bias that occurs when individuals rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the 'anchor') when making decisions. This initial reference point can significantly affect subsequent judgments and estimations, leading to skewed decision-making and perceptions. Understanding this bias is crucial as it impacts both decision-making processes and the design of user interfaces, where the way information is presented can influence user choices.
Confirmation bias: Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. This cognitive bias affects how people process information and make decisions, often leading to flawed reasoning and poor judgment.