Intrinsic cognitive load is associated with the complexity of a specific instructional topic and the material's structure. 

For example most of the time on applications’ empty states, we prompt users to complete a task. Here, the copy needs to be short, simple and with the appropriate words in order for the user to be able to easily follow the instructions.

Intrinsic Cognitive Load

Germane cognitive load is the cognitive load devoted to processing information and construction of schemas. The schemas describe a pattern of thought that organizes categories of information and any relationships among them.

One of the reasons we use design patterns is because it’s easier for the users to recognize and learn something new if they can discern it into a pattern from something they already understand.

Germane Cognitive Load

Extraneous cognitive load relates to the impact of the format in which the information is being presented with and the memory needed for "instructional activities"

Extraneous Cognitive Load

Klepsch et al. did an experiment on measuring the three types of cognitive load . Two groups were given a series of 24 tasks of varying cognitive difficulty. One group was taught about the three types of cognitive load before and its participants were asked to rate the cognitive load required for each task on a 7 point likert scale. The uninformed group was given the same task, but asked to answer specific questions regarding cognitive load required for them. The study found that the informed group was better at determining if a high or low germane cognitive load was required for all three types of cognitive load. However, when the questions about germane cognitive load were modified for the uninformed group, they were better able to determine if a task required a low or high germane cognitive load.

Measuring Cognitive Load Using Surveys

In this experiment, Michael Albers employed the finger tapping method to measure users' cognitive load as they were navigating each of the given websites, How Stuff Works and National Institutes of Health. The overall goal of this study was to see if the tapping task is a practical option for measuring the fluctuations in cognitive load. The finger tapping task is a simple motor task in which users are to rhythmically tap one or multiple fingers from their non-dominant hand. For this study, participants were directed to tap their fingers on one hand and to place their other hand on the mouse. Participants were also divided in two groups: technical, those who use a computer for work and personal use, and non-technical, those who use a computer for necessary tasks. For each website, the participants were given 5 cards containing a question with a time limit of 2.5 minutes to answer each question. Because tapping requires the use of at least one hand, participants were to locate the answers to the questions by scrolling through the website. And after each question, the participants must return back to the homepage of the given website. Albers found that “non-technical” participants exhibited slower, quieter and less rhythmic taps when navigating the given website compared to the “technical” participants, which could indicate cognitive overload for the former group. While more research needs to be done on how differences in technical skill levels can impact results, the findings of this study shows the use of the finger tapping method in a usability test to pinpoint specific areas of a product, such as a website, that may contribute to the user’s cognitive overload. 

Using the Tapping Method to Measure Cognitive Load

Albers, Michael. (2011). Tapping as a measure of cognitive load and website usability. Proceeding SIGDOC '11 Proceedings of the 29th ACM International Conference on Design of Communication. 10.1145/2038476.2038481. 


Tapping as Measure of Cognitive Load and Website Usability

Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in a person’s working memory.

Cognitive load theory can be differentiated into three types:
- Intrinsic cognitive load
- Extraneous cognitive load
- Germane cognitive load

University of California, Berkeley

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Psychology plays a big part in a user's experience with an application. Understanding how our designs are perceived, we can make adjustments so that the apps we create are more effective in achieving the goals of the user.

- Isolation effect
- Latency and Regency Effect
- Cognitive Load
- Hick’s Law
- Gestalt Laws of Proximity

Psychology Principles for UI/UX Design

The Psychology Principles Every UI/UX Designer Needs to Know (https://uxplanet.org/the-psychology-principles-every-ui-ux-designer-needs-to-know-24116fd65778)

Psychology Priniciple for UI Design

Also known as Von Restorff effect. It predicts that when multiple similar objects are present, the one that differs from the rest is most likely to be remembered. 

This is the main reason why all call-to-actions (CTAs) look different from the rest of the action buttons on a site or application. We want users to be able to differentiate between a simple action button and a CTA, in order for them to have a clear understanding what the CTA does, whilst also remembering it throughout their use of the application or site.

Isolation Effect

This theory suggests that a user to best remember the first and last items in a series. 

This is why most applications nowadays ditch the hamburger menu and go for a bottom or top bar navigation, placing the most important user actions to the right or left. In the image below, you can see some examples from popular iOS applications. Each put the “Home” and “Profile” items all the way to the left and right.

Latency and Regency Effect

Congitive Load

Hick’s Law describes that the time it takes for a person to make a decision depends on the choices available to him or her. So if the number of choices increases, the time to make a decision increases logarithmically.

A very nice example of Hick’s Law that applies to user experience design are lists:

Learn Before

Related

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