Week 12

Performance Load

Q1)”Performance load is the degree of mental and physical activity required to achieve a goal”. (pp. 148). If the performance load is high then time and errors will increase, which means the probability of successfully accomplishing something the goal decreases.If it is low it is the exact opposite as of time and errors decrease and goal’s increase. 

There are two types of performance loads; cognitive load and kinematic load.

Cognitive load

Is all about the mental activity required to accomplish a goal this can be done through perception, memory or problem solving.”The structure of human cognitive architecture, while not known precisely, is discernible through the results of experimental research. Recognizing George Miller’s (producer) research showing that short term memory is limited in the number of elements it can contain simultaneously, Sweller builds a theory that treats schemas, or combinations of elements, as the cognitive structures that make up an individual’s knowledge base”. (Sweller, 1988) An example of this is early computing systems and having to remember numerous amounts of information. Over time computers have improved vastly and people do not have to rely on the cognitive skills as much as of the commands in menus. 

Kinematic load

Is the physical activity of the number of steps, movements or amount of force to complete a goal. This being said an example of this would be the telegraph as it allowed people to communicate. It was made through a serious of taps on a mechanical armature. As of the task it was a kinematic load. Morse code was then invented by Samuel Morse which reduced the load of kinematic as of the physical effort. This can be done through reducing the number of steps to complete a task, minimizing range of motion and travel distances and automating repetitive tasks.

A design should reduced the kinematic and cognitive load as much as possible for the reasons stated above. 

Q2) Chunking

Another aspect of cognitive load theory is how much information can be retained in our short term memory.  Chunking refers to a strategy for making more efficient use of short-term memory by recoding information. Herbert Simon (American phycologist) used the term ‘chunk’ to indicate and obtain long term memory structures. It is very useful for communicative purposes. An example of this can be phone numbers that are seven digits as the theory is that most people can only retain seven “chunks” of information in their short term memory. 

Q3) I do think it is necessary to have a background in phycology to come forward with the idea of performance load as it is all based on the cognitive load; capacity of what a human brain can remember and obtain and the kinematic load; the physical activity. Without having a phycologist who knows the field of what a human brain function like we would really just be ’stabbing in the dark’ as they say, as most people have no understanding behind they way the brain works. Phycologist would know what visually stimulates us; colours, shapes and styles. They have studied what people are like e.g. cognitive and kinematic.  

Activity

Image One

iPhone

The iPhone is communication device through phone calls, e-mail, messaging and the world wide web. Having just one device makes it so much easier through all of the kinematic tasks; number of steps to complete a task, minimizing range of motion and travel distances and automating repetitive tasks. With the cognitive load it also works as there is only one device to memorize. 

Image 2

 

tomtom

 

A tomtom is a navigational device used in a car to help with road directions. It makes it quicker and easier for people to know where to travel to and from and all you need to know is the address to where you are heading and it will do the rest. 

Image 3 

 

Apple-Laptop

A laptop is very versatile as you can take it where ever you want to go as it is not stuck down on a table like a computer would be. With being able to internet you can use e-mail, chat lines (facebook, twitter..) or search for anything and means a lot of tasks can be achieved from the one laptop. 

References;

1.Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2003). Performance Load. In Universal Principles of Design (pp. 148-149). Massachusetts: Rockport.

2.Sweller, J., Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning, Cognitive Science, 12, 257-285 (1988).

3.Sweller, J., Instructional Design in Technical Areas, (Camberwell, Victoria, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research (1999). From; http://tip.psychology.org/sweller.html

4. … (May 29, 2009). George Miller (II). From;http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004306/news

5. The Concise Roget’s Thesaurus. (1986) Melbourne: Budget Books

6. …(May 20, 2009). Cognitive Load. From; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load

7. Simon, H. (n.d.). Herbert A Simon; Autobiography. From; http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1978/simon-autobio.html

Images

1. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/vindu/wp-content/photos/iPhone.jpg

2. http://www.pc-outfitters.com/catalog/images/tomtom.jpg

3. http://lighthousemarketingsystem.com/WIRED/Apple-Laptop.jpg