Cognitive Psychology Applied to User Experience in Video Games

Abstract

SynonymsHCI; Human Factors; Human-Computer Interaction; UX; UX DesignDefinitionThe user experience (UX) entails a person’s perceptions and interactions with a product or software (such as a video game) and the satisfaction and emotions elicited via this interaction. UX overall refers to an overarching discipline focused on evaluation and improvement of users’ experience of a given product or software in development.Cognitive psychology is a discipline dedicated to understanding the human mind via mental processes such as problem solving, language, perception, attention, and memory.IntroductionThe designer Donald Norman popularized the notion of user experience (UX) in the 1990s (Norman et al. 1995). Originating in the fields of human factors and human-computer interaction, UX as a discipline incorporates knowledge and methodologies from behavioral sciences – including cognitive psychology – to evaluate the ease of use and emotions elicited from a product or system. Video game studios h ...