Technique: Mental Energy Analysis 1.Mental Energy: At the cognitive level, the interaction between people and artifacts (or people and people) can be modeled as a conversion of mental energy.

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 2 Mental Energy Why is this a good foundation for optimizing design for how minds work? We put mental energy into artifacts to learn, use and maintain them and we get mental energy out in terms of how they make us think and feel. The concept of energy in cognitive psychology and neuroscience is getting traction –Provides potential scientific foundation We can unify (post hoc) a large number of cognitive factors under one conceptual roof

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 3 The Science of Mental Energy is on the Rise Minimize “free energy” to optimally tune mental models to sensory input At the psychological level we seek to maximize our mental energy.

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 4 Interaction as the Conversion of Mental Energy Mental energy that goes into an interaction is converted into an altered form of mental energy that comes out of the interaction Mental energy can be generated or released during the interaction Can have the experience of getting more out then we put it (net mental energy that “picks us up”) or using more then we get (loss of mental energy that “brings us down”) The experience of mental energy strongly determines the relationship we have with artifacts

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 5 Load Factors: Estimating Mental Workload or Energy-In Mental Effort –Intensity of perception and interpretation –Number of decisions to be made –Length of (number of steps) in procedures to follow –Amount of learning Conscious Memory –Number of items in working memory –Level of abstraction –Number of things I must remember to remember (prospective memory) Vigilance –Need to self regulate, monitor or control –Role of situational awareness and variability –Use of executive functions or metacognition Time Pressure –Penalty for acting to slowly or fast –Consciously monitor time during use The more things I need to figure out, remember, monitor and control the more energy I must put into the interaction.

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 6 Production Factors: Estimating Mental Benefit or Energy-Out Meaning –Personal association –Remembrance –Link to identity Visceral Response –Emotions –Drive states (hunger, pain, fear, thirst, sexual desire) –Cravings or addictions Incidental Processing –Associations, metaphors, archetypes –Heuristics, cognitive bias, automatic naturalistic reasoning –Activation of a mental model, script or other cognitive structure Duration –Extending with positive valence can lead to savoring or other optimal state –Strong negative valence (e.g. revenge) can linger indefinitely Triggering positive, deep and naturalistically aligned associations can release tremendous mental energy.

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 7 Cognitive Ergonomics Energy-In > Energy-Out = Agitates Energy-In = Energy-Out = Tolerates Energy-Out > Energy-In = Resonates Energy-Out >> Energy-In = Accelerates

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 8 Design Observations Agitate is not always bad design Tolerate seems mundane but can be a great achievement in complex situations Resonance often requires a tight fit to a psychographic profile Integrate can be established with ordinary objects

A Mental Energy Framework for Designers

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 10 Using the Mental Energy Framework Can assess current artifacts and suggest potential improvement Tool for reverse engineering highly successful design Factors indicate which areas of cognitive science are especially relevant to designers Provides direction for what should be modeled or studied

Copyright © 2009 Mark K. Clare 11 Discussion or Group Activity Generate a list of artifacts – products, services, work processes, programs, etc. that have dramatically poor cognitive ergonomics –Very high load compared to production –Tend to agitate us or otherwise produce a negative mental state Generate a list of artifacts with outstanding cognitive ergonomics –Very high production compared to load –Tend to resonance with us or even accelerate our thoughts and feelings to produce a positive mental state Identify at least one feature and corresponding cognitive factor that is driving the ergonomics See handout for summary of factors and framework