[IxDA Discuss] Cognitive load question

[Oleh Kovalchuke]

Bruce Esrig on decision making process:

> My intuition about "cognitive load" is based on what a user must learn
> in order to formulate and reach a goal at a web site.... [below]

The decision making is actually simpler: we recognize one helpful-looking
pattern and pursue it until it proves to be wrong. If it is wrong we retract
and look for another helpful-looking pattern. Very much in line with
satisficing described by Krug's book and quoted by Jeff Howard.

Well researched book on decision making is "Sources of Power. How people
make decisions" by Gary Klein.

To guide decisions chunking and playing to stereotypes is the way to go.

-- 
Oleh Kovalchuke
Interaction Design is Design of Time
http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm


On 6/7/06, Bruce Esrig <esrig-ia at esrig.com> wrote:
> [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
material.]
>
> Perhaps this is not an industry-standard way of defining the term, but
> after reading the preceding messages on this thread, I would say ...
>
> My intuition about "cognitive load" is based on what a user must learn
> in order to formulate and reach a goal at a web site.
>
> The elements of the cognitive load of purposeful action at a web site are:
> - understanding the categories (at two levels, content and controls) used
> at the site
> - formulating a goal in terms of the categories
> - understanding enough of the decision tree to chart a path to the goal
> - understanding enough of the site content and controls to traverse that
path
> - understanding the content and controls at the destination
>
> If the user is in a highly exploratory mode, "formulating a goal" could
> happen quite late,
> or could be rather spontaneous.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Bruce Esrig
>
> At 03:25 PM 6/7/2006, Lisa deBettencourt wrote:>
> cognitive load can
> be affected by the places during interaction where you have to copy, say,
a
> product number from one page and insert it into a text box on another.
> Cognitive load theory comes into play when you use your memory for that
> transfer instead of the copy/paste function in the browser.
>
> ... " ... many site navigations are presented on all pages at all times
for
> continuous
> reference. Immediate memory doesn't play a significant role."
>
>
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