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Title: How to Use Interaction Design to Reduce Cognitive Load and Enhance Player Experience

Introduction:

This paper introduces the concept of interaction design

explaining the three types of cognitive loads.

discusses the effects of excessive or insufficient cognitive load in gaming contexts

emphasizing the importance of reducing cognitive load.

Furthermore, the paper focuses on how these three types of cognitive loads appear in gaming and explores the common interaction design techniques used to mitigate them.

1st Body Paragraph:

the first type of cognitive load: intrinsic cognitive load.

Reasons for occurrence : the inherent complexity of game mechanics.

To reduce : introducing gameplay mechanics gradually, condensing rule information

Additionally:providing examples of good and bad practices in different games

2nd Body Paragraph:

the second type of cognitive load :Extraneous cognitive load

Reasons for occurrence : unnecessary elements that are not related to the gameplay.

To reduce : using tiered interface displays, and more intuitive interaction methods.

Additionally, providing examples of good and bad practices in different games

3rd Body Paragraph:

The third type of cognitive load :germane cognitive load

Reasons for occurrence : the cognitive effort required by players when they acquire new knowledge and connect it with what they have already learned to enhance their game skills.

To reduce: Clearer tutorials and repeated application of skills

Additionally, providing examples of good and bad practices in different games

Conclusion:

summarizes the impacts of the three types of cognitive loads in games and their reduction strategies by interaction design

noting that studies show the cognitive load also has benefits, such as providing challenge and stimulating player potential.

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the outline of the essay:

Title: How to Use Interaction Design to Reduce Cognitive Load and Enhance Player Experience

Introduction:

This paper introduces the concept of interaction design

explaining the three types of cognitive loads.

discusses the effects of excessive or insufficient cognitive load in gaming contexts

emphasizing the importance of reducing cognitive load.

1st body paragraph：

Definitions and Examples of the Three Types of Cognitive Load in Gaming:

1. Intrinsic Cognitive Load:

Reasons for occurrence : the inherent complexity of game mechanics.

• Example:

2. Extraneous Cognitive Load:

Reasons for occurrence : unnecessary elements that are not related to the gameplay.

• Example:

3. Germane Cognitive Load:

Reasons for occurrence : the cognitive effort required by players when they acquire new knowledge and connect it with what they have already learned to enhance their game skills.

• Example:

It is important to note that while intrinsic and germane cognitive loads are closely related to the fundamental mechanisms of a game, and thus somewhat unchangeable through design, extraneous cognitive load can be more directly addressed through interactive design.

2nd Body Paragraph:

Methods to Reduce Extraneous Cognitive Load :

Intuitive Interaction:

1. Intuitive Control Layouts:

• Allow for customization of controls so players can operate the game naturally.

• Example: Comparison of good and bad control layouts in different games.

2. Intuitive Feedback on Actions:

• Using multi-sensory feedback to confirm player actions can enhance players satisfaction.

• Example: Games that excellently vs. poorly implement sensory feedback.

3. Contextualized Expression:

• Displaying functions and UI elements within game scenes to make interactions more intuitive.

• Example: Games that effectively vs. ineffectively contain UI within the game scene

3rd Body Paragraph:

Further Strategies to Minimize Extraneous Cognitive Load:

Clear and Organized Interface Design:

1. Hierarchical Interface Display:

• Organize and sometimes hide information by level, or this can also emphasize critical data.

• Example: Games that successfully vs. unsuccessfully use interface hierarchy.

2. Consistent Visual Language:

• Maintaining consistency in visual design elements across the interface.

• Example: Comparisons of visually consistent vs. confused game interfaces.

3. Simplified Information Presentation:

• Using abbreviations or concise phrasing can effectively draw attention to important information.

• Example: simplified vs. Complex

information presentations in games.

Conclusion:

A brief overview of the impacts of cognitive load in gaming

Summary of the methods to reduce extraneous cognitive load

Noting that studies show the cognitive load also has benefits, such as providing challenge and stimulating player potential.

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the outline of the essay:

Title: How to Use Intuitive Interaction Design to Reduce Extraneous Cognitive Load

Introduction:

This paper introduces the concept of intuitive interaction design

explaining cognitive loads in games

Explain Extraneous Cognitive Load:

unnecessary elements that are not related to the gameplay.

discusses the effects of excessive or insufficient extraneous cognitive load in gaming contexts

emphasizing the importance of reducing extraneous cognitive load.

Methods using intuitive interaction design to Reduce Extraneous Cognitive Load :

1st body paragraph：

Intuitive Control Layouts:

• Allow for customization of controls so players can operate the game naturally.

• Example: Comparison of good and bad control layouts in different games.

2nd Body Paragraph:

Intuitive Feedback on Actions:

• Using multi-sensory feedback to confirm player actions can enhance players satisfaction.

• Example: Games that excellently vs. poorly implement sensory feedback.

3rd Body Paragraph:

Contextualized Expression:

• Displaying functions and UI elements within game scenes to make interactions more intuitive.

• Example: Games that effectively vs. ineffectively contain UI within the game scene

Conclusion:

A brief overview of the impacts of extraneous cognitive load in gaming

Summary of the methods to reduce extraneous cognitive load

Noting that studies show the cognitive load also has benefits, such as providing challenge and stimulating player potential.

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Easy of use design:

Ease of use is a basic concept that describes how easily users can use a product. Design teams define specific metrics per project—e.g., “Users must be able to tap Find within 3 seconds of accessing the interface.”—and aim to optimize ease of use while offering maximum functionality and respecting business limitations.

Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, May 25). What is Ease of Use?. Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ease-of-use

The concept of Intuition:

it was concluded that intuition is a cognitive process that utilises knowledge gained through prior experience. Intuitive use of products involves utilising knowledge gained through other products or experience(s). Therefore, products that people use intuitively should be those with features they have encountered before.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X03000383#:~:text=The%20results%20of%20these%20experiments,more%20time%20consuming%20and%20effortful.

The concept of interaction design:

Interaction Design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product, system, or service.

– John Kolko, Author of Thoughts on Interaction Design (2011)

The goal of interaction design is to create products that enable the user to achieve their objective(s) in the best way possible.

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/what-is-interaction-design

The concept of Intuitive interaction design

There is no widely agreed-upon definition of the term “intuitive design.” Rather, intuitive design is used informally to describe designs that are easy to use. So, when a user is able to understand and use a design immediately—that is, without consciously thinking about how to do it—we describe the design as “intuitive.”

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/intuitive-design

The concept of Intuitive interaction design in game:

‘So, when a user plays the game, you could describe the design as “intuitive” when he directly understands what his goals are and how to use his tools.’

https://medium.com/@mgvanveelen/intuitive-ux-design-in-video-games-b5efebef0ab3

what is cognitive loads in games  :

Cognitive load in the context of game design, refers to the mental effort and capacity players have to go through to process and understand information presented to them in a game (Sweller, 1999).

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4

what is extraneous cognitive loads  :

Extraneous load is the unnecessary and distracting elements of the new information.

·       (Sweller, 1999).

what is extraneous cognitive loads in games  :

‘This load arises from the elements that aren't directly related to the gameplay. Such as unclear UI, confusing controls, or excessive visual stimuli.’

https://coreyhobson.medium.com/minimizing-cognitive-load-strategies-for-simplifying-complex-systems-in-game-ux-fcc72544c8e3

the effects of excessive cognitive load in gaming contexts:

When the brain encounters a lot of complex information all at once, it can become cognitively overloaded. This less-than-ideal state makes it difficult to solve problems and think clearly.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cognitive-load-theory-how-manage-your-mental-effort-maximize-tank/

player becomes impulsive not strategic

First, the low load subjects exhibited more strategic defection near the end of play than the high load subjects. Second, we Önd evidence that low load subjects were better able to condition their behavior on the outcomes of previous periods.

https://people.camden.rutgers.edu/sduffy/files/2013/11/CogLoad-Sept-2013-Copy.pdf

Why Intuitive Interaction Design can Reduce Extraneous Cognitive Load

Intuitive Technology Selection: Choose technologies that prioritize user-friendliness and intuitive design. Tools that are complex and difficult to navigate can significantly increase cognitive load, detracting from the overall productivity and creativity of the team.

https://sventorben.medium.com/reduce-cognitive-load-in-the-digital-age-3438ec6f282d

Three ways to make interaction design intuitive:

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Contextual design:

Contextual design in game definition:

Similar to diegetic design, (sisi yuan) which means the interface is visualized in the 3D games space and exists in the fictional game world. Simply speaking, instead of completely separates interface elements from the game world. developers made the UI an integral part of the game world. (Göteborg, Sweden, 2009)

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/storytelling-with-interface-the-narrative-design-of-user-interface-in-video-games

https://odr.chalmers.se/server/api/core/bitstreams/fd267f70-c295-4eae-ae01-af5db676e61d/content

Evidence of Contextualized Expression can make interaction intuitive and reduce extraneous cognitive load:

Contextualized Expression provide the player hints and info without distracting them from the narrative. this makes the experience more immersive and intuitive

https://uxdesign.cc/understanding-ux-in-video-games-diegesis-theory-f59d5a94cbcf

.

•       Example: Games that effectively vs. ineffectively contain UI within the game scene

Dead Space [Visceral Games, Glen Schofield & Bret Robbins — USA 2008] represents a perfect example to explain when the diegetic interface is well used in some points and bad in others. In this game, all the graphic elements appear in the form of a hologram projected from the main character’s suit. Moreover, opening any screen — like the inventory, a map, the weapon selector — the game is neither paused nor slowed down in order to maintain the illusion. Also, instead of an overlay on the health bar, the player health is indicated on the back of the avatar suit.

https://uxdesign.cc/understanding-ux-in-video-games-diegesis-theory-f59d5a94cbcf

Traditionally, games use what’s known as a HUD (heads-up display) to lay out key information on the screen. This type of UI design, called non-diegetic representation, completely separates interface elements from the game world.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar

In the image above, there are lots of colors bars that have missing portions, and numbers overlaid on them.

And what we’re talking about of course is the “health bar.” Or sometimes “magic” or “experience” or “resource.” It can represent many things, but it’s basically a bar graph of the amount of something you have out of the total amount you could have.

I think it’s cool that we have a shared and common language amongst gaming that allows for this to exist. But, I more firmly believe that these types of things should make sense without requiring the knowledge and context of 30+ years of video games. Looking at the above image as if I had no clue about video games, can I understand that the green probably means “health” while the blue probably means “magic?” Definitely not. There’s no reason one should mean either or.

https://www.dailygamedesigns.com/games/684-the-importance-of-contextual-design/

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NMCIs

NMCIs definition:

Naturally mapped control interfaces (NMCIs)

NMCIs refers to the design of control interfaces that uses natural mapping concept.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321758040_The_influence_of_naturally_mapped_control_interfaces_for_video_games_on_the_player_experience_and_intuitive_interaction#:~:text=Control%20interfaces%20have%

Naturally mapped definition:

Natural mapping, by which I mean taking advantage of physical analogies and cultural standards, leads to immediate understanding.

·       Norman, D. A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books.

Natural mapping aims to enhance the overall gaming experience by aligning controls with users’ expectations and physical actions

https://direct.mit.edu/pvar/article/23/3/267/59023/Controller-Required-The-Impact-of-Natural-Mapping

Evidence of NMCIs can make interface intuitive:

naturally mapped control interfaces are claimed to offer more intuitive and transformative experiences for players compared with traditional control interfaces,

Mitchell McEwan, Alethea Blackler, Peta Wyeth, and Daniel Johnson. (2020) Intuitive Interaction with Motion Controls in a Tennis Video Game. In Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY ’20), November 2–4, 2020, Virtual Event, Canada. ACM, New York, NY, USA.

•       Example: Comparison of least or most natural mappings in different games.

Paul Skalski at Cleveland State University and several collaborators decided to put idea this to a test and published their results earlier this year in the journal New Media & Society.

Directional natural mappings are the least natural, representing simple up/down/left/right mappings and maybe some buttons. Think Street Fighter 4: up to jump, left/right to move, down to crouch, and buttons to punch or kick.

Kinesic natural mappings are those that involve gross body movements ⁴ to control the game without holding a controller. This is pretty much every Kinect game, plus some of Sony’s EyeToy games.

Incomplete tangible natural mapping gives players something that feels like an in-game object. Wii Sports, for example, uses this kind of mapping when it asks you to use the wiimote like a tennis racket or golf club. A lot of Playstation Move controls are going to fit in here, too, like the ping pong game or the archery game in Sports Champions.

Realistic tangible natural mapping, though, is the most realistic kind of controller. This gives you a thing that is a thing and behaves like the thing in the game …thing. ⁵ Steering wheels for racing games fall into this category, as do drum sets for Rock Band or Guitar Hero –not to mention that nutso stringed guitar controller that Mad Catz wants you to buy for Rock Band 3.

https://www.psychologyofgames.com/2010/09/motion-controls-and-presence/

The researchers then decided to kick it up a notch and compare several different types of controllers on the same game. They had participants play the racing game Need for Speed Underground 2 using a keyboard, a joystick, a gamepad, or a steering wheel.

Same results: the steering wheel, which represented a “realistic tangible natural mapping” according to the taxonomy above, was perceived as the most natural and players in that group were the most likely to report feeling like they were “in the game.”

Skalski, P., Tamborini, R., Shelton, A., Buncher, M. & Lindmark, P. (2010). Mapping the road to fun: natural video game controllers, presence, and game enjoyment. New Media & Society.

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Feedbacks:

feedback in games definition:

Feedback in games is a reaction, a response. The player performs an action and the game reacts to it.

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/feedback-in-games-how-to-design-rewards-and-punishments#close-modal

Evidence of feedbacks can make interaction intuitive and reduce extraneous cognitive load:

Appropriate feedback matches the user’s actions with their mental model of how the system works and instills confidence in their actions, i.e., if you hover over a button, you’d expect to see a state change.

Immediate feedback tells the user that their action has been registered and helps instill confidence, i.e., when you click on navigation, and it takes a while to load, you’d expect to see a loader.

When appropriate and immediate feedback is missing, users get frustrated and lose confidence in their actions resulting in unnecessary physical (repeated clicks) and mental interaction costs.

https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-design-intuitive-interfaces-using-feedback-mechanisms-and-states-ca376f41d8ed

Without feedback, one is always wondering whether anything has happened. Maybe the button wasn’t pushed hard enough; maybe the machine has stopped working; maybe it is doing the wrong thing. Without feedback, we turn equipment off at improper times or restart unnecessarily, losing all our recent work. Or we repeat the command and end up having the operation done twice, often to our detriment.

·       Norman, D. A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books.

•       Example: Games that excellently vs. poorly implement feedback.

The god of war uses multi-sensory feedback to confirm player actions and avoid extraneous cognitive load

Except for visual and auditory:

when players throw the Axe, the controller vibrates as it leaves Kratos' hand and as it flies through the air, the haptic feedback pulses lightly with the rhythm of the Axe, drifting to the right side of the controller as it approaches Kratos' hand. It lands with a satisfying thunk and a final vibration, truly immersing the player in the action of the throw.

https://screenrant.com/throwing-god-war-leviathan-axe-dualsense-haptic-feedback/

With Library of Ruina, so much of succeeding in the game is about finding ways of boosting your dice rolls and damage. This comes in the form of buffs and passives you can attach to characters. The problem is that when it comes time to see the results of your rolls, none of those extra features are mentioned, and the ones that do barely stay on the screen for a few seconds; making it almost impossible to figure out why something worked or not.

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/using-feedback-as-a-teacher-in-video-games

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Conclusion:

Noting that studies show the cognitive load also has benefits, such as providing challenge and stimulating player potential.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223331805_A_model_of_cognitive_loads_in_massively_multiplayer_online_role_playing_games