LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE

ERGONOMICS

COGNITIVE ERGONOMICS- is a specialty area of best practices promote improving the quality of the
ergonomics that seeks to understand the thought user’s interaction with and perceptions of your
processes involved in human performance. This product and any related services.
studies the combined effect of
information-processing characteristics, task
constraints, and task environment on human FACETS OF USER EXPERIENCE
performance and applies the results of such studies ● Useful. Product designers and developers
to the design and evaluation of work systems. must have the courage and creativity to ask
whether their products and systems are
This domain of ergonomics is concerned with useful, and to apply their knowledge of craft
mental processes, such as perception, memory, and medium to define innovative solutions
reasoning, and motor response, as they affect
that are more useful.
interactions among humans and other elements of
a system. ● Usable. Ease of use remains vital, and yet
the interface-centered methods and
DEFINITION: perspectives of human-computer interaction
Cognitive ergonomics mainly focuses on work do not address all dimensions of web
activities which: design.
A. have an emphasized cognitive component (e.g., ● Desirable. The quest for efficiency must be
calculation, decision-making)
tempered by an appreciation for the power
B. are in safety-critical environments
C. are in a complex, changeable environment (i.e., and value of image, identity, brand, and
where tasks cannot be predetermined) other elements of emotional design.
● Findable. Practitioners must strive to
The first domains investigated by cognitive design navigable web sites and locatable
ergonomics were nuclear power plants, air traffic objects, so users can find what they need.
control systems, and medical anesthetics. Those
● Accessible. Just as buildings have
situations feature complex environments (e.g.,
where there are many controls and switches—or elevators and ramps, web sites should be
many factors—coming into play) and where accessible to people with disabilities (more
exceptional focus is needed so as to make than 10% of the population).
decisions in potentially life-threatening situations. ● Credible. Designers and developers should
understand the design elements that
In the years following, many studies were influence whether users trust and believe
conducted in “softer” domains such as banking,
what they tell them.
office work and leisure activities.
● Valuable. Sites must deliver value to their
PHYSICAL VS COGNITIVE ERGONOMICS sponsors. For non-profits, the user
Physical ergonomics focuses on our bodies while experience must advance the mission. With
cognitive ergonomics is interested in what goes on for-profits, it must contribute to the bottom
in our brains which include the way our senses line and improve customer satisfaction.
perceive information, the way in which we
understand and interpret it, and what determines Disciplines Related to Building the User
the decisions we make. Experience
1. Project Management focuses on planning
USER EXPERIENCE (UX) and organizing a project and its resources.
User experience (UX) focuses on having a deep This includes identifying and managing the
understanding of users, what they need, what they lifecycle to be used, applying it to the
value, their abilities, and also their limitations. It user-centered design process, formulating
also takes into account the business goals and the project team, and efficiently guiding the
objectives of the group managing the project. UX team through all phases until project
completion.
 2. User Research focuses on understanding The basic elements of any general communications
user behaviors, needs, and motivations system include:
through observation techniques, task
analysis, and other feedback A. a source of information which is a
methodologies. transmitting device that transforms the
3. Usability Evaluation focuses on how well information or "message" into a form
users can learn and use a product to suitable for transmission by a particular
achieve their goals. It also refers to how means.
satisfied users are with that process. B. the means or channel over which the
4. Information Architecture (IA) focuses on message is transmitted.
how information is organized, structured, C. a receiving device which decodes the
and presented to users. message back into some approximation of
5. User Interface Design focuses on its original form.
anticipating what users might need to do D. the destination or intended recipient of the
and ensuring that the interface has message
elements that are easy to access, E. a source of noise (i.e., interference or
understand, and use to facilitate those distortion) which changes the message in
actions. unpredictable ways during transmission
6. Interaction Design (IxD) focuses on creating
engaging interactive systems with well
thought out behaviors.
7. Visual Design focuses on ensuring an
aesthetically pleasing interface that is in line
with brand goals.
8. Content Strategy focuses on writing and
curating useful content by planning the
creation, delivery and governance behind it.
INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY- is an
9. Accessibility focuses on how a disabled
approach to cognitive development studies that
individual accesses or benefits from a site,
aims to explain how information is encoded into
system or application.
memory. It is based on the idea that humans do not
10. Web Analytics focuses on the collection,
merely respond to stimuli from the environment.
reporting, and analysis of website data.
Instead, humans process the information they
receive. This theory not only explains how
LESSON 2: Human Information Processing
information is captured, but how it is stored and
Model & Information Theory
retrieved as well.
INFORMATION- defined as the knowledge about
KEY ELEMENTS OF INFORMATION
facts or ideas gained through investigation,
PROCESSING THEORY
experience, or practice.

● Information stores: The different places in

In information theory, it is a message that reduces
the mind where we store information.
uncertainty; that is, information tells us something
○ Examples: sensory memory,
we do not already know. The bit is the common unit
short-term memory, long-term
of information in information theory.
memory, semantic memory,
episodic memory, etc.
INFORMATION THEORY- is consisted of principles
● Cognitive processes: The various
relating to the communication or transmission of
processes that transfer memory among the
information.
different memory stores.
 ○ Examples: perception, coding, ○
recording, chunking, and retrieval ● Long-Term Memory – It is thought that
● Executive cognition: The awareness of the long-term memory has an unlimited amount
individual of the way information is of space as it can store memories from a
processed within them. long time ago to be retrieved at a later time.
Various methods are used to store
information in the long-term memory such
INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY as repetition, connecting information,
MODELS- Atkinson and Shiffrin Multi-store Model relating information to meaningful
of Memory (1968) experience or other information, and
breaking up the information into smaller
chunks.

INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY

MODELS- Baddeley and Hitch Model of
Working Memory (1974)

This model was proposed by John William

Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin. shows the three
subsections of human memory and how they work
together.

● Sensory Memory – It holds the information

that the mind perceives through various Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch created their
senses such as visual, olfactory, or auditory model as they thought Atkinson and Shiffrin’s
information. These sense organs often multi-store model of memory was too simple. As
receive a barrage of stimuli all the time. such, their model attempts to present a more
However, most are ignored and forgotten by accurate model of short-term memory by splitting it
the mind to prevent getting overwhelmed. into multiple components.
When sensory information engages and
gets the attention of the mind, it is ● Central executive – It is considered the
transferred to short-term memory. control center of the mind where information
○ processes are regulated between various
● Short-Term Memory (Working Memory) – memory stores. It controls and implements
Information in short-term memory only lasts the cognitive processes that encode and
around 30 seconds. Cognitive abilities affect retrieve information. Additionally, the central
how individuals process information in executive receives information from the
working memory. Additionally, attention and visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, and
focus on the most important information phonological loop. The frontal lobe of the
also play an important role in encoding it brain is thought to house the central
into long-term memory. Furthermore, executive, as this is where all active
repetition significantly helps the ability to decisions are processed.
remember details for a long time.
● Phonological loop – It works closely with FUNCTIONS OF PERCEPTION
the central executive and holds auditory
information. Furthermore, it is composed of SIGNIFIED: a concept or meaning as distinguished
two sub-components: from the sign through which it is communicated.
This is abstract, a mental representation.
-Phonological store – It holds
auditory information for a short period SIGNIFIER: a symbol, sound, or image that
-Articulatory rehearsal process – represents an underlying concept or meaning that
It stores the information for longer periods of refers to the signified. This is a physical form of a
time through rehearsal. sign that we perceive through our senses.

● Visuospatial sketch pad – It is considered DENOTATION: a direct specific meaning as distinct

another part of the central executive that from an implied or associated data.
holds spatial and visual information. It helps
the mind imagine objects and maneuver CONNOTATION: the suggesting of a meaning by a
through the environment. word apart from the thing it explicitly names or
describes, something suggested by a word, sign, or
● Episodic buffer – Baddeley later added the thing.
fourth element of the model, which also
holds information. It increases the capability CODING
of the mind to store information. He believed Codification is the systematic arrangement of items
that the episodic buffer transfers information in an organized fashion or the classification of items
between short-term memory, perception, into identifiable categories.
and long-term memory. As it is still relatively
new, research is still conducted as to its In many cases human beings are presented with
specific mechanisms. coded information rather than direct presentation of
the energy source.

LIMITATIONS OF INFORMATION Thus, the designer must be aware of human

PROCESSING THEORY capabilities along coding dimensions while
designing codes.
- The analogy between computers and the
human brain is limited. The expectation is that the task will not demand
- Information processing theory assumes more than the person can handle. Otherwise, the
serial processing. person will make errors.

ATTRIBUTE OF CODES
ORGANIZATIONAL BENEFITS OF
INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY -Detectability

-Acquisition and retrieval -Discriminability

-Storage -Compatibility

-Transformation -Meaningfulness

-Transmission -Standardization
 D. Correct rejection – stimulus is not present
LESSON 3: SIGNAL DETECTION and observer responds, “No”

Signal detection theory postulates that a human

being always functions within some background CONDITIONS THAT MAKE IT EASIER TO
noise. DETECT SIGNALS

The level of noise may change from instant to 1. Increased duration of signal - Human
instant; however, it has an average effect on any sensory system do not respond immediately
sense and is distributed normally over time. to signals. Naturally, in normal-use
conditions, signal duration should be
This theory makes a distinction between an increased many times to allow the user to
observer’s ability to perceive a signal and their carry out multiple activities.
willingness to report it. 2. Enhanced signal-to-noise ratio - The
higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the more
HISTORY OF SIGNAL DETECTION THEORY detectable the signal is.
Signal detection theory is a body of concepts and 3. Multichannel presentation of data - In
techniques from communication theory, electrical addition to improving detectability,
engineering, and decision theory that were applied presentation of information to multiple
during World War II to the detection of radar signals channels (visual, auditory, tactual, etc.)
in noise. These concepts were applied to auditory enhances processing of information in
and visual psychophysics in the late 1950s and are background noise.
now widely used in many areas of psychology. 4. Multichannel monitoring of data -
Perception is more efficient when data are
SENSITIVITY AND CRITERION monitored by multiple input channels.
Sensitivity refers to the capacity of a person to 5. Optimal signal presentation rate (neither
detect and discriminate or how well the observer too slow nor too fast) - naturally, the best
perceives stimuli. This is the value that defines the rate of signal presentation depends largely
ease with which an observer can tell the difference on the tasks demands and other existing
between the presence and absence of a stimulus, stress.
or the difference between two stimuli.

Criterion is a standard against which a judgment,

evaluation, or comparison can be made. This refers
to how the observer choose to respond.
● If the internal response is above criterion,
the observer gives one response.
● Below criterion, the observer gives another
response.

Four possible stimulus-response situations in signal

detection theory:
A. Hit – stimulus is present and observer
responds, “Yes”
B. Miss – stimulus is present and observer
responds, “No”
C. False alarm – stimulus is not present and
observer responds, “Yes”