Module 2: Cognition and User Expectations
Overview of Module 2/Week 2 of Class (Part 1 of 3)
Overview of Cognition and Expectations
Usability is about expectations. If we know what individuals expect to be in a location, we can design objects they can use in that setting. Anticipating these expectations involves cognition – or how individuals think about where they perform processes and the mental models that guide their actions and behaviors. The better we understand the cognitive models that guide a person's actions, the more effectively we can design materials that meet these expectations. For this module, we will examine cognitive factors affecting usability and user experience design.
Processing, Limitations, and Mechanisms
A central concept in cognition is that there are limitations on how much information the human brain can process at one time. These limitations are usually discussed using the term cognitive load – or how much information the mind can take in, hold in short-term memory, process, move to long-term memory, recall, and act upon at any one time. When one compares the amount of data the mind takes in with the amount of information the brain can process, the dynamics of cognitive load become surprising. (For more information on these dynamics, see https://www.britannica.com/topic/information-theory/Physiology)
To address these factors, the human mind has developed mechanisms to organize large amounts of information into units the mind can process quickly. These approaches allow humans to act reflexively when processing certain information in a location. When you enter a restaurant to order and eat a meal, for example, you perform this process (which involves many complex and changing variables) effortlessly with little thought or need for explanation of what to do or expect. Such activities (i.e., moving effortlessly through complex and changing social contexts) reveal how the brain’s data storage and processing mechanisms help us process data effectively.
Next Part -- Schemas and Expectations
Usability is about expectations. If we know what individuals expect to be in a location, we can design objects they can use in that setting. Anticipating these expectations involves cognition – or how individuals think about where they perform processes and the mental models that guide their actions and behaviors. The better we understand the cognitive models that guide a person's actions, the more effectively we can design materials that meet these expectations. For this module, we will examine cognitive factors affecting usability and user experience design.
Processing, Limitations, and Mechanisms
A central concept in cognition is that there are limitations on how much information the human brain can process at one time. These limitations are usually discussed using the term cognitive load – or how much information the mind can take in, hold in short-term memory, process, move to long-term memory, recall, and act upon at any one time. When one compares the amount of data the mind takes in with the amount of information the brain can process, the dynamics of cognitive load become surprising. (For more information on these dynamics, see https://www.britannica.com/topic/information-theory/Physiology)
To address these factors, the human mind has developed mechanisms to organize large amounts of information into units the mind can process quickly. These approaches allow humans to act reflexively when processing certain information in a location. When you enter a restaurant to order and eat a meal, for example, you perform this process (which involves many complex and changing variables) effortlessly with little thought or need for explanation of what to do or expect. Such activities (i.e., moving effortlessly through complex and changing social contexts) reveal how the brain’s data storage and processing mechanisms help us process data effectively.
Next Part -- Schemas and Expectations
Other Module 2/Week 2 Materials
To access other materials for Module 2/Week 2, click on the related link below