Effective Interface Design

By Avoiding Cognitive

Overload – Addressing

issues with Visual Design

Abdullah ALRASHIDI EDGE903 - 2011

Content:

• The user interface is a part of program by which users (people) can communicate with the programs or machines.

• The interface could be to devices or other complex systems.

• It provides means for user to input information to manipulate a system.

• It output effects created by the user’s manipulations. (Stone & Stone 2005)

• Graphical User Interface (GUI) – is the user visual interface that allow users to interacting with a computer using items such as windows and icons (Norman 2004).

• Design considerations principles: organize, economize and communicate. It should take into account human factors and cognitive ability.

• Organize – consistency, screen layout, relationships and navigability are important concepts

• Consistency – match with the real world – what users are used to.

• Screen layout – the general 7+/-2 rule is essential to considered to avoid information overload. Designing visual representation can designed according to CLT to avoid overload

• CLT to properly design learning materials avoid cognitive overload

If Attended to

LONG-TERM MEMORY

Cognitive Architecture

• Perceive Incoming information

Attend to Information

• Limited Capacity • Limited duration

Permanent store all Knowledge and skills in multidimensional webs of interconnected nodes (schemas)

Unlimited

Stimuli in the Environment

SENSORY MEMORY

If toattended

Elaborative

Rehearsal

Sweller, et al.,1998 Cognitive Architecture & Instructional Design

WORKING MEMORY

Basic assumption:

• Learning happens best under instructional conditions that are aligned with our cognitive architecture

• If an overly complicated task is NOT so aligned cognitive overload

Structured visual design must be avoid high cognitive load

LEARNING

CLT: 3 types of CL

Intrinsic

Extraneous

Germane

Total Working Memory Capacity

Intrinsic Load(Irreducible by instructional

design)

Extraneous Load(Reducible by Instructional

Design)

Germane Load(Increasable by

instructional design)

Free Capacity

Total Cognitive

Load

Fig 2 A visual representation of the assumptions underlying cognitive load theory (Plass, Moreno & Brünken 2010; p18)

CLT Instructional techniquesThe principal of CLT is applied to develop training material that efficiently make use of the available cognitive processing capacity Instructional design Techniques.

Decreasing Extraneous Load

Goal-free effect

Worked-example effect

Completion effect

Split-attention effect

Modality effect

Redundancy effect

Increasing Germane Load

Self-explanation effect

Imagination effect

Process information effect

Variability effect

Managing Intrinsic Load

Fading support effect

Part-whole/whole-part effect

Sequence effect

Cognitive load Theory

• Cognitive load theory focuses on the need to maximise working memory resources to facilitate learning. Cognitive load is a measure of the “total amount of mental activity imposed on working memory at an instance of time” (Cooper, 1998, p.10).

• It is based on the concepts of information processing in memory.

• It is multidimensional construct characterised by three key dimensions: Intrinsic, extraneous & germane CL.

Instructions and suggestions for interface designers

• The interface has to communicate with users by designing the interface contents that are clear leading to desired accurate actions.

• Avoid information clustering which can confuse to learners as it might increasing cognitive load through the disordering in the interface.

Instructions and suggestions for interface designers

• Do not fall in the same mistake that I made of clustering the slide with lots of information in slide 7 – CLT & Cognitive Resource Information. Do I need try to align text and picture to reduce cognitive load to align memory process.

Instructions and suggestions for interface designers

• Make design simple and user friendly to the user. Make it help the users to be more active and will motivate them to improve their interactions with the interface.

Instructions and suggestions for interface designers

Summary

Summary

REFERENCE

1.Cooper, G 1998, Research into cognitive load theory and instructional design at UNSW, accessed 21/10/2011, http://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/CLT_NET_Aug_97.html2.Hasler, BS, Kersten, B & Sweller, J 2007, Learner control, control load and instructional animation, Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology, vol.21, no.7, pp 713 – 729, Wiley Online Library database3.Norman, D 2004, Design as Communication, accessed 24/10/2011, http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/design_as_commun.html4.Stone & Stone 2005, User interface design and evaluation , accessed 24/10/2011, http://books.google.com.au/books?5.Sweller J, van Merrienboer JJG, Paas F 1998, Cognitive architecture and instructional design, Educational Psychology Review 1998, vol 10, no 2, pg 251 – 296, Wiley Online Library database