Abstract
Visuocognitive design accommodates the alignment of visualization to human cognitive processes. Established theory suggests that 1) recognition is easier than recall [1], 2) spatial visualizations are less abstract than temporal ones [2], and 3) aesthetics induce cognitive ease [3]. These principles, and others, underpin our new audit tool that focusses on design for cognition.
Theories of form, function and utility have been known for many decades and are well-known in the field of design, but infovisualization is a relatively new field, as are associated fields such as user-experience (UX), user-centered design and information design. Therefore, generally, design schools focus far more (possibly, exclusively) on teaching form, style, function, sustainability and user-experience than on visuocognition. The same emphasis is found in the design industry. This audit tool has been created to provide heuristic evaluations based on a set of visuocognitive design principles and is, therefore, a valuable contribution.
To devise the visuocognitive principles, we conducted a narrative review as a method of approach. The tool is composed of one prerequisite and six principles. ‘Informed Engagement’ is the prerequisite to accurately inform the graphics with ground truth, and to give them substance. The six principles are: 1) clarity, 2) arrangement, 3) cued meaning, 4) intuitive meaning, 5) cognitive fit, and 6) cognitive preference. They are divided into three groups: the first two principles concern appearance, the second two principles concern meaning, and the last two principles concern cognition (Figure 1). The term ‘meaning’ can imply intended meaning by the designer (in a graphic representation), or construed meaning by the user. The novelty of this audit tool is that it fixes ‘meaning’ as the pivotal point between aesthetic visual display and mental cognition, with the aim to align construed meaning with intended meaning and achieve fluent cognition.
Theories of form, function and utility have been known for many decades and are well-known in the field of design, but infovisualization is a relatively new field, as are associated fields such as user-experience (UX), user-centered design and information design. Therefore, generally, design schools focus far more (possibly, exclusively) on teaching form, style, function, sustainability and user-experience than on visuocognition. The same emphasis is found in the design industry. This audit tool has been created to provide heuristic evaluations based on a set of visuocognitive design principles and is, therefore, a valuable contribution.
To devise the visuocognitive principles, we conducted a narrative review as a method of approach. The tool is composed of one prerequisite and six principles. ‘Informed Engagement’ is the prerequisite to accurately inform the graphics with ground truth, and to give them substance. The six principles are: 1) clarity, 2) arrangement, 3) cued meaning, 4) intuitive meaning, 5) cognitive fit, and 6) cognitive preference. They are divided into three groups: the first two principles concern appearance, the second two principles concern meaning, and the last two principles concern cognition (Figure 1). The term ‘meaning’ can imply intended meaning by the designer (in a graphic representation), or construed meaning by the user. The novelty of this audit tool is that it fixes ‘meaning’ as the pivotal point between aesthetic visual display and mental cognition, with the aim to align construed meaning with intended meaning and achieve fluent cognition.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | ECCE 2019 - Proceedings of the 31st European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics |
| Subtitle of host publication | Designing for Cognition |
| Publisher | Association for Computing Machinery |
| Pages | 1-5 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781450371667 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-4503-7166-7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 10 Sept 2019 |
| Event | 31st European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics: Design for Cognition - Belfast, United Kingdom Duration: 10 Sept 2019 → 13 Sept 2019 https://www.ulster.ac.uk/conference/european-conference-on-cognitive-ergonomics |
Publication series
| Name | Proceedings of the 31st European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Association for Computing Machinery |
Conference
| Conference | 31st European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | ECCE 2019 |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Belfast |
| Period | 10/09/19 → 13/09/19 |
| Internet address |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019 Association for Computing Machinery.
Copyright:
Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Audit Tool
- Cognition
- Infographics
- Infovisualization
- Meaning
- Visualization
- Visuocognitive Design
