Correlation between cognitive style and the speed of processing information structures related to user interface design

Abstract

This thesis studies the impact of one’s wholistic – analytical cognitive style preference on the performance of processing user interfaces The author analyzes existing literature on cognitive styles and cultural dimensions and the connection between the two fields This is put in relation with practices for internationalizing user interface design One hypothesis of the thesis is that the wholistic thinkers will be faster at processing a user interface structures that are organized according to user interface structure and properties associated with wholistic thinking Second hypothesis is complementary and posits that analytical thinkers are significantly faster at processing information organized according to user interface structure and properties associated with analytical thinking compared to wholistic thinkers The hypotheses were tested in an experiment on a sample of subjects through a series of cognitive tests performed on a set of information structures and compared to the results of the ECSA-WA/VICS test In the end no significant correlation between the proposed structures and the wholistic – analytical cognitive style preference was found This is attributed not only to the measured phenomenon but also the test software and other variables which are further analyzed in the last two chapters Finally the author proposes to further improve the test reliability of ECSA-WA/VICS software suite and to test the proposed information structures using other wholistic – analytical cognitive style theories

Date of Award	2014 Aug 28
Original language	English
Supervisor	Sheng-Fen Chien (Supervisor)