Abstract
A quantitative measure of information complexity remains very much desirable in HCI field, since it may aid in optimization of user interfaces, especially in human-computer systems for controlling complex objects. Our paper is dedicated to exploration of subjective (subject-depended) aspect of the complexity, conceptualized as information familiarity. Although research of familiarity in human cognition and behaviour is done in several fields, the accepted models in HCI, such as Human Processor or Hick-Hyman’s law do not generally consider this issue. In our experimental study the subjects performed search and selection of digits and letters, whose familiarity was conceptualized as frequency of occurrence in numbers and texts. The analysis showed significant effect of information familiarity on selection time and throughput in regression models, although the R 2 values were somehow low. Still, we hope that our results might aid in quantification of information complexity and its further application for optimizing interaction in human-machine systems.
Highlights
Human operators so far remain an indispensable part of most control systems, receiving, processing, and outputting information just like any other its component
Among the more interface-related research we’d like to note [11], where the authors employ the concept of cognitive distance, which is important since it expresses the familiarity in a quantitative way
The alleged cognitive processor cycle time varies in the range of 25170 ms, but it remains rather unclear how to determine the number of cycles, in which cases information exchange with long-term memory starts and how exactly, what are the particulars for various user groups and contexts of use, etc
Summary
Human operators so far remain an indispensable part of most control systems, receiving, processing, and outputting information just like any other its component. It would be desirable to develop theories describing how humans perform information processing, what are their productivity and constraints in that, so that complexity of user interfaces could be reasonably minimized, which is generally considered to be desirable [2]. In our current paper we seek to explore the subjective side of the information complexity, by analyzing the impact of familiarity (well-known versus unfamiliar information) in human information processing. Would identify them as Task (Functionality) – Thesaurus – Layout – Material – Behaviour, and so far we focus on the Material level, exploring the impact of familiarity in interface elements (the level corresponding to icons, buttons and other controls, etc.).
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