A Study of Cognitive Factor Sequences and Relations to User Experience Quality in Interactive Design: Cognitive Process Analysis of Smart Home Interface Design Based on Think-Aloud Method

Abstract

Abstract

With the rapid proliferation of smart home systems, the innovation quality of interaction interface design has become a core factor influencing user experience (UX). However, existing research lacks systematic exploration of how the sequential deployment of cognitive factors in designers’ cognitive processes affects UX innovation quality. This study aims to examine the interactive effects of cognitive factors during the process of interaction design innovation, with a particular focus on the mechanisms through which sequences of cognitive factors influence UX quality. We employed the Think-Aloud Method to capture the real-time cognitive processes of 68 interaction designers while they completed smart home interface design tasks. The UX quality of the resulting design solutions was quantitatively assessed using the User Experience Scoring Scale (UXSS) combined with the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT). The results indicate that: (i) the sequence of cognitive factors significantly affects the UX quality of design solutions, with the sequence of semantic memory → remote association → distant combination → creative expression → creative evaluation being more likely to yield high-UX-quality designs; (ii) repeated use of the same cognitive factors, particularly semantic memory, does not necessarily improve UX quality during the interaction design process; and (iii) UX quality is positively correlated with the number of cognitive factor categories employed by designers during the innovation process, with greater cognitive diversity corresponding to higher UX quality. These findings provide a cognitive science foundation for interaction design education and practice, offering guidance for designers to optimize creative thinking processes and thereby enhance the UX innovation quality of digital products such as smart home systems.

Keywords: Interaction design innovation; cognitive factor sequences; user experience quality; Think-Aloud Method; design cognition process