The impact of interface affordances on human ideation, problem solving, and inferential reasoning

Abstract

This article presents two studies investigating how computer interface affordances influence basic cognition, including ideational fluency, problem solving, and inferential reasoning. In one study comparing interfaces with different input capabilities, students expressed 56% more nonlinguistic representations (diagrams, symbols, numbers) when using pen interfaces. A linear regression confirmed that nonlinguistic communication directly mediated a substantial increase (38.5%) in students' ability to produce appropriate science ideas. In contrast, students expressed 41% more linguistic content when using a keyboard-based interface, which mediated a drop in science ideation. A follow-up study pursued the question of how interfaces that prime nonlinguistic communication so effectively facilitate cognition. This study examined the relation between students' expression of nonlinguistic representations and their inference accuracy when using analogous digital and non-digital pen tools. Perhaps surprisingly, the digital pen interface stimulated construction of more diagrams, more correct Venn diagrams, and more accurate domain inferences. Students' construction of multiple diagrams to represent a problem also directly suppressed overgeneralization errors, which were the most common inference failure. These research results reveal that computer interfaces have communications affordances which elicit communication patterns that can substantially stimulate or impede basic cognition. Implications are discussed for designing new digital tools for thinking, with an emphasis on nonlinguistic and especially spatial representations that are most poorly supported by current keyboard-based interfaces.

Interfaces for thinkers

“…The present findings are consistent with other recent work showing that students' inferential accuracy was significantly better when using a digital pen and paper interface, compared with nondigital pen and paper tools [10]. This work also demonstrated that students' improved inferential reasoning when using the pen interface was mediated by a higher rate of diagramming and more accurate diagrams, which were visually available to inspect and led to more accurate scoping of conclusions [10].…”

“…This work also demonstrated that students' improved inferential reasoning when using the pen interface was mediated by a higher rate of diagramming and more accurate diagrams, which were visually available to inspect and led to more accurate scoping of conclusions [10].…”

“…Correctness of science problem solutions averaged over 10% higher, compared with using pen or graphical tablet interfaces. In tasks involving divergent idea production, students also performed significantly better at producing appropriate biology hypotheses when using a digital pen and paper interface, compared with a pen or keyboard-based tablet interface [10]. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page.…”

Structured observation with polyphony

“…Oviatt et al [22] suggest that using paper stimulates ideation, and is particularly effective in supporting nonlinguistic or spatial representations that are poorly supported by traditional interfaces. Contemporary composers use paper not only to express musical ideas but also to explore and complete the detailed implementation of their final musical score [13,26].…”

“…Others involve field studies with open-ended explorations of interactive tools [11,22]. Still others propose new metrics, such as degrees of freedom for musical control or required expertise [5].…”