Programmable user models for predictive evaluation of interface designs

Abstract

A Programmable User Model (PUM) is a psychologically constrained architecture which an interface designer is invited to program to simulate a user performing a range of tasks with a proposed interface. It provides a novel way of conveying psychological considerations to the designer, by involving the designer in the process of making predictions of usability. Development of the idea leads to a complementary perspective, of the PUM as an interpreter for an "instruction language". The methodology used in this research involves the use of concrete HCI scenarios to assess different approaches to cognitive modelling. The research findings include analyses of the cognitive processes involved in the use of interactive computer systems, and a number of issues to be resolved in future cognitive models. © 1989 ACM.