Why designers can't understand their users, book

developing a systematic approach using cognitive psychology

Why are computers difficult to use? It is so easy to design a userfriendly computer. Don't blame technicians, designers and managers. Blame cognitive psychology. The conclusions are based on experiments with train ticket vending machines and trains indicators. A typical European view on the application of cognitive psychology.

Full table of contents of the book

Part I

1.

2.

3.
3.1
3.2
3.3

Part II

4.

5.

5.1

5.2

5.3

6.

7.
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4

Introduction

The Problem:
how to apply fundamental experimental psychological knowledge

From psychology to practice

Maintaining a scientific approach in practice

Which approach to apply
Elementary approach
Holistic approach
Synthetic approach

The Solution:
a synthesis of psychological and design concepts

The 'man' component

The 'interface' component
Interface technology approach
Practical and experimental problems
Theoretical problems
Properties approach
Properties of the element of an interface
The value of properties of elements
The field properties of an interface
Which field properties of the interface
- The field property quantity
- The field property distance
- The field property structure
‘Man’ and ‘Interface’

The 'task' component

Testing the Solution
Theoretical evaluation
Empirical test using students
Practical test by comparing designs
How the synthetic model will be tested

Part III

8.
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4

8.5

8.6

9.
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6

9.7

9.8

9.9

Experiments:
better designs with the Solution?

Visual size
What is visual size?
Why visual size?
Which sizes?
Experiment: the effect of size on visual search performance
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Generalisation of knowledge
Interface technology generalisation: numerical code train ticket vending machines
Interface technology generalisation: screen train ticket vending machines
Domain generalisation: lists in computer interfaces
Conclusion

Visual distance
What is distance
Distance in other function fields
What is visual distance?
Why the term visual distance
Which visual distances
Experiment 1: comparison “Out of order”
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Experiment 2: comparison “Insert this way”
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Generalization of knowledge
Interface technology independence: 360-destinations vending machine
Interface technology independence: touch-screen vending machine
Domain independence: a coffee vending machine
Conclusion

10.
10.1
10.2
10.3
10.4

10.5

10.6

10.7

11.
11.1
11.2
11.3

11.4
11.5

11.6

11.7

11.8

Cognitive quantity
What is cognitive quantity
Why cognitive quantity
Which cognitive quantities
Experiment 1: observation of performance
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Experiment 2: the effect of cognitive quantity
Introduction
Method
- The indicator used
- Condition little information; single indicator
- Condition large amount of information; double indicator
- Scoring
Results
Discussion
Generalization of knowledge
Interface technology generalisation: button train ticket vending machine
Domain generalisation: the Windows Office terminology
Conclusion

Cognitive structure
What is cognitive structure?
Structure in other function fields
Why cognitive structure?
Structure and literature
Structure and design
Which cognitive structures?
Experiment 1: observation of knowledge of the structure
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Experiment 2: comparison of structures
Method
Results
Discussion
Generalisation of knowledge
Interface technology generalisation 1: train indicator
Interface technology generalisation 2: timetable books
Domain generalisation: computer program menus
Conclusion

Part IV

12
12.1

12.2
12.3
12.4

13
13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.5
13.6

14.
14.1
14.2
14.3
14.4

Annexes
1

2

3

4

5

6

Part IV Testing the Solution:
is the Solution really better?

Testing the Solution, using literature
Shneiderman
Testing the human component
Testing the system component
A web-based usability handbook
A foundation of knowledge
Conclusion

Testing the Solution, using the Solution
Is the human component nominal?
Is the human component ordinal?
Is the system component nominal?
Is the system component ordinal?
The structure of the system components
Conclusion

Epilogue
Conservative domain
Why bother, use new technology
The results and conclusions are obvious and not new
The truth
Finding the truth with fora
Finding the truth with experiments
Finding the truth with history
The truth found?

Design indicator experiments
Subjects
Materials
Procedure
Search time
Errors
Delay
Passenger evaluation

Random list with destinations
Table of contents: Software psychology

Table of contents: Designing the user interface

Structure of: A web-based handbook

Table of contents: Encyclopaedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors
References
Summary
Samenvatting

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