Applying Cognitive Psychology to User Interfaces
Sabeen Durrani and Qaiser S. Durrani
FAST – NU, Computer Science Department Lahore, Pakistan
sabeen.durrani@lhr.nu.edu.pk, qaiser.durrani@nu.edu.pk
Abstract. This paper explores some key aspects of cognitive psychology
that may be mapped onto user interfaces. Major focus in existing user
interface guidelines is on consistency, simplicity, feedback, system
messages, display issues, navigation, colors, graphics, visibility and error
prevention [8–10]. These guidelines are effective in designing user
interfaces. However, these guidelines do not handle the issues that may arise
due to the innate structure of human brain and human limitations. For
example, where to place graphics on the screen so that user can easily
process them and what kind of background should be given on the screen
according to the limitation of human motor system. In this paper we have
collected some available guidelines from the area of cognitive psychology
[1, 5, 7]. In addition, we have extracted few guidelines from theories and
studies of cognitive psychology [3, 11] which may be mapped to user
interfaces.
1 Introduction
While designing an interface one of the major goals of a designer is to design a
system which can be used by the users effectively, even novices, without spending
much time in understanding how to use the system. To accomplish this goal user
interfaces should be designed according to human capabilities and limitations.
Extensive research material is available regarding guidelines for user interface
design. But limited number of these guidelines is based on cognitive aspects of
humans. These cognitive psychology based guidelines are generally about human
memory limitations, attention, learning, decision making and perception [7–9].
However, there are many other theories and studies of cognitive psychology that
provides us with guidelines to design better user interfaces. Such theories and
studies are organization of brain [3, 11], Simon effect [6], transference [5], mental
imagery [3, 11], limitations of motor system [3], interference [3], visual search [3]
and cognitive abilities [3]. Limited research material is available that map these
studies of cognitive psychology to user interface design [1, 5]. In this paper a set
of guidelines is presented based on the theories of cognitive psychology. These
guidelines will help an interface designer in designing interfaces that may reduce
cognitive load on the user by presenting information in a more understandable
Applying Cognitive Psychology to User Interfaces 157
manner. There are many issues that need addressing in interface design including
the following: text and image location on the screen, background and text colors,
information presentation, placement of the most important information, handling
cognitive abilities of users and keeping user involved in the system.
2 Guidelines
2.1 Placement of Text and Images
Here we discuss the issue of placing text and images on the screen so that the
user pays attention to them. To resolve this, we have to understand the structure of
human brain to see how it pays attention to text and images and which portions of
the brain are allocated for their processing. The brain is divided into two
hemispheres; each of them is specialized for different types of processing. The left
hemisphere is associated with linguistic and analytic processing, whereas the right
hemisphere is associated with perceptual and spatial processing. Brain processes
information contralaterally; that is left hemisphere controls right side of the body
while right hemisphere controls the left side of the body. Hence, left eye is
controlled by the right hemisphere and right eye is controlled by the left
hemisphere [3]. Hence, user can identify text quickly when they are displayed in
the user’s right visual field and images are identified quickly when presented in
the left visual field, as shown in figure 1 [1].
Fig. 1. Visual Fields [1]
Understanding the brain structure helps us in positing text and images on screen.
Text should be placed so that it falls in the user’s right visual field and images
should be placed where it will fall in the user’s left visual field. This will facilitate
the processing of text and images in the corresponding specialized hemispheres
and will help reducing the cognitive load on the user.
