The cognitive model

Abstract

People are continually creating and accessing internal representations of their current situation. I refer to this as their cognitive model. During an interaction with a computer system the person will form a cognitive model of the interaction that contains what he believes are the functions, capabilities and limitations of the system. An invalid or missing cognitive model will lead to user dis-satisfaction, a lack of confidence in the system and, hence, inefficient use of the system and human resources. The user interface, which includes off-line and on-line methods, is the link between the designer's conceptual model of the system's functions, capabilities and limitations and the user's cognitive model. The interface must present the system to the user in such a manner as to guide the user's cognitive model development to where it coincides with the designer's conceptual model. Awareness of the user's developing cognitive model will enable the production of a more effective human-computer interface.