Human-Computer Interaction in Mobile Context : A Cognitive Resources Perspective
Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: Human-computer interaction is currently shifting its focus from desktop-based interaction to interaction with "beyond the desktop", which is embedded into everyday activities. In order to support users more elegantly, these mobile, wearable, and ubiquitous computing devices are envisioned to adapt inte lligently to their context. Thus far, however, the mobile use contexts per se have received attention, as most research has been technology-driven. Drawing from cognitive psychology, user modeling in human-computer interaction, and ethnomethodology, a framework is put forward here to analyse mobile use situations from the point of view of resource competition. The framework assumes that mobility is inherently multitasking and easily leads to competition for cognitive and other human resources. This "cognitive resource competition" framework is elaborated and associated with the psychological principles of capacity and multitasking. It looks at the typical social, interactional, cognitive, and physical tasks in mobility, relates them to the typical cognitive resources they compete for, and, based on known capacities of cognitive faculties, pinpoints restrictions and resources for action that can emerge in a given mobile situation. It is argued that the approach is useful for identifying the perceptual, attentional, and cognitive capabilities of a user in a mobile situation. The approach has implications for the design and innovation of intelligent, context-sensitive user interfaces and services. Furthermore, a practical method for making human resources visible in a design session is proposed and evaluated.
Author: Antti Oulasvirta
Language: English
Subfield: Human-Computer Interaction
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1506782826