Connecting psychological theory to HCl: science, craft or just plain craftiness?

The early 'vision' of a significant body of research on HCl was that cognitive theory could come to play a strong role in the design of new interfaces. However there have been many objections to this 'vision'. The author argues that cognitive theory can, and should play a significant role in the processes of design and development. However, rather than sticking with a classic predictive or strictly evaluative role for cognitive theory, he explores wider 'connections' between psychological theory and design issues. The assumption is that a meaningful role for theory can be achieved by considering, not just theoretical predictions, but by considering the kinds of deeper understanding of human behaviour that such theory can offer. If one knows something of what is going on in the 'head of the user', one should be able to create designs that match and extend human capabilites. In essence, cognitive theory should input significance substance to both the evaluative and creative aspects of the design process. It should help us to understand what to consider in the structuring of design issues and should provide pointers to the kinds of designs that would be effective. The author focuses on some specific cases of attempting to connect cognitive theory to substantive design issues.<
>