a. Information processing
b. Mental models
c. Learning
d. Skills
e. Individual differences
a. Information processing:
- Our senses collect information, and our brain processes it in two levels: higher (conscious and slow) and lower (rapid, parallel, and unconscious).
- Repetition and learning shift control from the higher to the lower level.
- Both levels function simultaneously, with the higher level doing reasoning, and the lower level perceiving physical information.
b. Mental models:
- Mental models are internal representations of a person’s understanding of something.
- People often can’t describe their mental models, but they influence how we perceive and interact with things.
- When using a new system, people apply their mental models. If the system aligns, it feels intuitive; if not, there may be difficulties.
c. Learning:
- Learning is the process of encoding short-term memory information into long-term memory.
- People can improve performance through learning, but designing overly complex systems underestimates our learning ability.
- Design can enhance learning by providing consistency, feedback, and phased information.
d. Skills:
- Human performance aims for skillful actions.
- Skill involves performing actions in the correct sequence with precision, consistency, and economy of effort.
- Skills are hierarchical, with basic skills integrated to form complex ones.
- System and screen design should support the development of increasingly skillful performance.
e. Individual differences:
- People differ in looks, feelings, abilities, and more.
- Design must accommodate a wide range of characteristics for users to learn and use a task comfortably.
- In the past, designs often catered to the lowest abilities, but technology now allows tailoring tasks to varying skill levels.
- Multiple system versions can be created to meet the needs of different users.