Testing Predictions of Semiotic Engineering in Human-Computer Interaction

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of Semiotic Engineering and proposes a method for testing predictions derived from semiotically-motivated interface design principles, based on a small-scale experiments. In Semiotic Engineering, systems are viewed as complex messages sent from designers to users. The fundamentais of this approach are drawn from Umberto Eco's Theory of Sign Production. The long-range goal of Semiotic Engineering is to contribute for a theory of HCI design and the proposed principles must be experimentally tested to validate the theory. Preliminary test methods and results reported here suggest methodological procedures for some needed experimental studies.