Prediction of Menu selection on Touch-screen Using A Cognitive Architecture: ACT-R

Cognitive model, that is cognitive architecture, is the model expressed with computer program to show the process how human solve a certain problem and it is continuously under investigation through various fields of study such as cognitive engineering, computer engineering, and cognitive psychology. In addition, the much extensive applicability of cognitive model usually helps it to be used for quantitative prediction of human Behavior or Natural programming of human performance in many HCI areas including User Interface Usability, artificial intelligence, natural programming language and also Robot engineering. Meanwhile, when a system designed, an usability test about conceptual design of interface is needed and in this case, analysis evaluation using cognitive model like GOMS or ACT-R is much more effective than empirical evaluation which naturally needs products and subjects. In particular, if we consider the recent trend of very short-end term between a previous technology development and the next new one, it would take time and much efforts to choose subjects and train them in order to conduct usability test which is repeatedly followed in the process of a system development and this finally would bring delays of development of a new system. In this study, we predicted quantitatively the human behavior processes which contains cognitive processes for menu selection in touch screen interface through ACT-R, one of the common method of usability test. Throughout the study, it was shown that the result using cognitive model was equal with the result using existing empirical evaluation. And it is expected that cognitive model has a possibility not only to be used as an effective methodology for evaluation of HCI products or system but also to contribute the activation of HCI cognitive modeling in Korea.