If a user uses an app or product for more than a few minutes, the workload of the user becomes an issue. This is especially true for apps involving repetitive operations, such as Spellcheck in Word, a photo editing app, and a tax filing app. If each iteration of a task takes more time than necessary, the user’s time mounts up and becomes an irritant.
For example in Microsoft’s Spellcheck, a box shows alternative spellings for the misspelled word along with some text surrounding the misspelled word showing context. But the user cannot correct spelling in the text context box when the correct spelling is not listed among the alternatives. The user must visually locate the misspelled word in the document text, move the cursor to that word, and then correct the spelling. This is extra workload than if the spelling could be corrected in the text context box.
Time for user workload is particularly important for users of in industrial and operational contexts, such as Air Traffic Controllers and manufacturing operations. It can be tiresome and frustrating for the user when app operations require excess workload. And for some apps safety is an issue if recognizing something alarming on the screen and acting with a cursor or keyboard takes too much time.
The field of Human Factors (HF) can help design apps or other products to minimize user workload. A user’s workload includes cognitive (understanding what to do), visual (eye movement), auditory (understanding sounds), and mechanical (moving hands or body). Some applications, such as tax filing apps, require remembering past or future actions.
This session will enable attendees to:
- Understand the aspects of user workload
- Recognize how user workload affects user experience
- Address ways to minimize frustrating user workload.
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