Chapter 3
What is the design implications for Perception?
Is the present information in an appropriate format so that it can easily be perceived and recognized.
Memory
Is recalling various kinds of knowledge and
Short Term Memory
It is the temporary "storage" of information. This process requires attention.
What are some of the techniques used to improve memory?
1- Chunking information makes it easier to remember. 2-Using mnemonics, using the first letter of the word to create a memorable phrase
Broadly speaking, we can split long term memory into two types. Which types are those and how do they differ?
1- Declerative memory (e.g., memory of facts and experiences) 2- Nondeclerative memories (e.g., memory of how to perform motions as well as other unconscious actions)
Why is it important to understand cognition in Interaction Design?
1- Interaction with technology involves cognitive processes. 2- It provides knowledge of what users can do. 3- It identifies and explains what kind of problems users can encounter. 4- It supply theories, modelling tools, guidance and methods that can lead to the design of better interactive products
What are the design implications for attention?
1- Make information salient (noticeable / stand out) when it needs attending to. 2- Avoid cluttering the interface with too much information.
Externalising
Is a technique used to reduce our memory load by creating external representations to remind us what to do, or when to do something.
What are some of the main characteristics (facts) of attention?
1- We can choose what we want to pay attention to regardless of the various information around us. 2- We focus on what is relevant to us. 3- Attention can be shifted involuntarily due to distractions. 4-Attention is limited, which means that we cannot pay full attention to two things at the same time. We divide/shift our attention briefly from one task to another.
What are some of the characteristics (facts) of perception?
1-Perception is influenced by our past experiences. 2-Perception is relative. 3- Perception can be enhanced or diminished by sensory experience.
Annotation and cognitive tracing
Annotation involves modifying existing representations through making mark
Cognitive Frameworks
Are theories to explain and predict a user's behavior based on theory of cognition.
List the five cognitive processes:
Attention - Memory - Learning- Reading, Speaking, Listening - Problem solving.
Is it possible to perform multiple tasks without one or more of them being detrimentally (seriously) affected?
No, we cannot multi-task. We can only attend to one thing at a time.
Gestalt Principles
Proximity - similarity - good continuation - closure -common fate
External Cognition?
Refers to the way people extend their normal cognitive processes with external aids.
What is the difference between short term memory and working memory?
STM is active maintenance of information. WM is also manipulation (such as ignoring distractors or shifting between stored items)
What is Attention as a cognitive process?
Selectively focussing on a certain aspect of information, while ignoring other perceivable information
What are the two types of memories?
Short term memory- Working memory
McGurk Effect
The conflict of two modalities: hearing and seeing and how it relates to the perception of language. In the end, the visual modality is 'stronger' and our perception of sound changes.
Perception
The integration of sensory information into a coherent model of the environment
Computational offloading
Using a tool along with an external representation to carry out a computation
Give few examples of design implications for perception:
a.Icons should be clear and enable users to readily distinguish their meaning . b.Information should be grouped using Bordering and spacing techniques. c. Text should be legible and distinguishable from the background. d.Sounds should be audible and distinguishable e.Speech output should be clear and enable users to distinguish between the set of spoken words.
Distributed Cognition
is a theory that knowledge lies not only within the individual but also in the physical and social environment.
Mental Model
is the user's belief about how a system works.
Cognition
the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
What are the design implications for memory as a cognitive process?
● Don't overload users' memories with complicated procedures. ● Design interfaces that promote recognition rather than recall. ● Provide users with various ways of encoding information to help them remember. e.g. categories, color, flagging etc
List few applications that have been developed by understanding peoples speaking, listening, reading skills ?
● Interactive Books to read and listen ● Speech-recognition systems that allow users to interact with them by asking ● Natural-language systems enable users to type in questions and give text-based ● Speech-output systems use artificially generated speech
Explain the cognitive process of problem solving , reasoning , and decision making:
● It involves reflective cognition. ● Often involves conscious processes, discussion with others (or oneself), and the use of artefacts. ● May involve working through different scenarios and deciding which is best option. ● The extent to which people engage in reflective cognition depends on their level of experience with a domain or skill.
What are the differences between the 3 forms of language - Reading, Speaking and Listening?
● Listening requires less cognitive effort than reading or speaking. ● Reading can be quicker than speaking or listening. ● Dyslexics have difficulties understanding and recognising written words.
How can search be facilitated for digital content by taking into account people's memory abilities?
● Memory involves 2 processes - recall-directed and recognition-based scanning ● File management systems should be designed to optimize both kinds of memory processes ● Help users encode files in richer ways ● Provide them with ways of saving files using colour, flagging, image,etc
What are some of the main characteristics (facts) of learning?
● People find it very hard to learn by following a set of instructions in a manual ● People prefer to learn through doing, exploring. ● Interactive multimedia enables this by providing simulations
What the design implications of problem solving, reasoning and decision making?
● Provide additional information/functions for users who wish to understand more about how to carry out an activity more effectively ● Use simple computational aids to support rapid decision-making and planning for users on the move.
What are the design implications of reading, listening and speaking as a cognitive process?
● Speech-based menus and instructions should be short ● Tone of artificially generated speech voices should be clear ● Provide options for making text large on a screen (for accessibility)
Why is digital content a growing problem?
● There are a huge number of resources. ● where and how to save them all, then remembering what they were called and where to find them again ● naming is the most common way of encoding them.
What are some main characteristics (facts) of memory as a cognitive process?
●A filtering process is used to determine what gets further processed and remembered ● It involves first encoding and then retrieving knowledge. ● The more attention we pay to something, the more it is processed the more likely it is to be remembered. ● Context is important in affecting our memory. ● People are much better at recognizing things than recalling things. ● People can remember upto 7 + or - 2 verbal things (George Millers theory), and about 2-4 visual items (Cowan's theory)