Using Cognitive Psychology to Improve Ux Design

Using Cognitive Psychology to Improve UX Design

Ko-Hsin Chen

Using Cognitive Psychology to Improve UX Design

When most designers think they create a comprehensive web-site, they presume that it will be usable. Unfortunately, sometimes users can’t achieve their expectations of this web-site. They are confused by dazzling and magnificent user interfaces. Both users and designers get stuck in ridiculous scenes because of a lack of communication. Designers communicate with users by visual symbols on devices; in this indirect conversation, designers have to further understand users’ minds. Many believe that engineers, scientists, teachers, and designers can benefit by understanding people’s mental processes as well as how people learn and remember information. Cognitive psychology is a scientific study which uses scientific research methods to study mental processes. It is a shortcut for many to understand logical human thought and help designers to avoid costly mistakes. This research illustrates the relationship between cognitive psychology and user experience (UX) design, provides simple UX design principles with cognitive psychology to help UX designers create a user friendly environment.

UX Design and Cognitive Psychology

What is user experience (UX) design?

There are many different ways to define user experience design. As a general definition, user experience (UX) is how people feel when they interface with a system, such as websites, desktop software, or smartphone applications. Some people call that human-computer interaction (HCI). UX designers also focus on how efficient and pleasant the experience is for users; in other words, they are in charge of creating a friendly user environment. UX is a new area of study within schools of Web-based systems. According to UX authors, Unger and Chandler (2012), the focus will be “on projects centered on the design of digital experiences —in particular, such interactive media as Web sites and software applications.”

What is cognitive psychology?

Cognitive psychology is the study of people’s perceptions, learning, memory, and thinking. For example, cognitive psychologists may study how people recognize different shapes or how they learn languages. Cognitive psychology professors Sternberg and Sternberg’s (2015) definition states that “ultimately, cognitive psychologists hope to learn how people think by studying how people have thoughts about thinking.” Cognitive psychology is different than other psychology theories because it is concerned with mental states and uses scientific research methods to study mental processes. Cognitive psychology can help people to understand why things happen the way they do in every day life. Many believe that engineers, scientists, teachers, and designers can benefit by understanding people’s mental processes as well as how people learn and remember information.

Relations between Cognitive Psychology and UX design

Around 30 years ago, University of Colorado professor Landauer (1987) claimed that “cognitive psychology is more intimately related to the design of computers than to that of traditional machines, such as automobiles and home appliances.” Two main reasons were given by him. First, the new flexible technology is changing too quickly, with confusing frequency. No one has enough experiences to be an expert. It is a critical issue that expertise can be easy to reach or operations be self-evident. Second, Landauer (1987) pointed out that “the tasks for which computers are the tools are generally ones in which the human’s thought processes themselves are being aided.” When using a computer to deal with statistical data, people help themselves with their statistics knowledge. Understanding users’ minds is an important component of computer systems because those systems are used to support dynamic interaction with humans. Previously, machines performed simple mechanical tasks, but this method does not work anymore. Instead, Landauer (1987) believed that “designing tools for this kind of activity is an intimately cognitive-psychological activity.”

According to John’s list, as quoted in Ritter and Young (2001), cognitive models have been applied to UXD or HCI in three main ways: “to predict time and errors, to assist users, and to act as surrogate users.” Table 1 provides various models that have been suggested and shows their function.

Table 1

Cognitive Model List

Note. This table of cognitive models is adapted from information in “Embodied models as simulated users: Introduction to this special issue on using cognitive models to improve interface design,” by Ritter, F. E., & Young, R. M. ,2001, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 55(1), 1-14. 

UX Design Principles with Cognitive Psychology

Principles

Designers and scientists are concerned with how to design and develop systems effectively and fruitfully. With clear principles, designers and engineers will easily connect between cognitive psychology and computer systems. Professor Landauer (1987) claims four principle ways that cognitive psychology interacts with computer system invention and design:

1. We may apply existing knowledge and theory directly to design problems.
2. We may apply our armamentarium of psychological ideas and theoretical machinery to the creation of new models, analyses and engineering tools.
3. We may apply our well-developed methods of empirical research and data analysis to the evaluation of designs, design alternatives, and design principles.
4. We can use problems encountered in design to inform and guide our research into the fundamentals of mental life.

Two decades later, professor Johnson (2010) at Stanford University’s UI design class highlighted six principles that are fundamental tenets of user interface design:

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