Visual cues as perceptual load: Cues can create additional cognitive demands in interactive visualizations despite being perceived as helpful

Abstract

Background

Perceptually rich visualizations are known to pose cognitive demands. Cognitive load theory suggests that design choices can mitigate negative effects on learning performance.

Aims

We aim to evaluate whether cueing is able to reduce the cognitive demands of a parallax effect induced by constrained interactivity in learning with perceptually rich visualizations.

Sample

191 university students were included in the final sample.

Methods

Participants were randomly assigned to learn with a perceptually rich anatomical visualization in one of four versions resulting from the factors constrained interactivity (static vs. interactive parallax effect) and visual boundary cues (without vs. with cues). The constrained interactivity allowed participants to slightly rotate an anatomical model. Subjective cognitive load during learning was assessed using a survey. Participants completed image-based and text-based retention tests.

Results

Contrary to the notion that cues help learners facing perceptually rich task, we found that cues only benefit learning with the static visualization. As indicated by an interaction effect, cueing lowered retention performance in the constrained interactive condition. Germane cognitive load ratings suggest that participants recognized the cues as helpful in the interactive parallax effect condition while preferring the variant without cues in the static condition.

Conclusion

The cognitive demands of minimally interactive perceptually rich visualizations cannot simply be reduced by inserting boundary cues. Instead, visual cues may even add to the perceptual richness of visualizations if they feature subtle forms of interactivity. The perceptual demands of a slightly adjustable visualization that was extended by cues may have been too high.