Topic 5 - HCI & Cognitive Aspects

What is the primary difference between experiential and reflective cognition?

Experiential cognition is fast and automatic (System 1), while reflective cognition is slow, deliberate, and requires deep mental processing (System 2).

What did the Tullis layout study (1987) prove about screen design?

Information spacing and categorization matter more than density. Clean visual groupings reduced user search times from 5.5 seconds to 3.2 seconds.

How does multitasking affect human task performance?

It overloads a user's capacity to focus, making them lose their train of thought, increase error rates, and require restarting tasks.

According to Ophir (2009), what defines a heavy multitasker's cognition?

They are highly prone to distraction and struggle significantly to filter out irrelevant environmental stimuli.

Under what specific condition can heavy multitaskers use their distractibility effectively?

According to Lotteridge (2015), only when the distracting sources of information are directly relevant to the main task at hand.

Why is talking to a remote person on a phone more dangerous while driving than talking to a front-seat passenger?

A passenger can see the road and stop talking when a hazard appears. A remote caller cannot see the environment and will continue talking, disrupting the driver's focus.

What visual element did Weller (2004) find was most effective for helping users quickly locate items on a screen?

Organizing information inside a clear visual border is faster for users than grouping items using pure color contrast blocks.

According to standard UX color contrast rules, which yellow combination should you avoid?

Yellow text on a white or green background should be avoided. (Yellow on black or blue is recommended).

Why does George Miller's 7±2 rule not mean you must limit screen menus to 7 options?

Interfaces rely on recognition, not recall. Users simply scan the screen to find what they want rather than holding the choices in working memory.

What is the difference between recognition memory and recall memory in HCI?

Recall requires users to pull exact facts out of deep memory (e.g., CLI commands). Recognition provides visual options that users simply look at to identify (e.g., GUI icons).

What tools do Bergman and Whittaker (2016) advocate using to improve Personal Information Management?

Providing rich metadata tools, including time stamping, categorizing, tagging, and multi-attribute attribution (color, icons, sounds).

What is the difference between incidental and intentional learning?

Incidental learning is passive and automatic (like recognizing faces), while intentional learning is goal-directed and deliberate (like studying for a midterm). Intentional is much harder.

How do reading and listening compare regarding cognitive effort and speed?

Listening requires less cognitive effort than reading, but reading text is structurally much faster than listening to spoken words.