Analysis of Users and Designers’ Cognitive Processes in Interaction Design Activities

Over the years, the increasing importance of interaction issues has suggested involving final users in design teams. This involvement requires a careful reasoning in order to maximize the users’ contribution. The research described in this paper aims at this maximization based on considerations about cognitive processes. The situated FBS framework — an existing tool to describe designers’ reasoning — is exploited to analyze the users and designers’ cognitive processes while they are designing together. The quantification of the cognitive effort allows highlighting and managing peaks, possible further interactions and missing activities. The result is a revised release of the design process, with a redistribution of the effort, an enhancement of the user-designer dialogue and the introduction of a new activity.