COGNITIVE
ARCHITECTURE (CA)
INFORMATION SYSTEM (IS)
INTRODUCTION
• A theoretical framework that models the
structures and processes of the human mind.
• It helps explain how humans perceive, think,
decide, and act while interacting with
computer systems.
• In HCI, CA provides insights into how users
process information, make decisions, and learn
new systems — enabling designers to build
more intuitive interfaces.
PURPOSE
• To simulate human cognitive processes
(attention, memory, reasoning, etc.).
• To predict user performance and behavior.
• To improve usability by aligning system design
with human thinking.
• Examples are ACT-R (Adaptive Control of
Thought–Rational), Soar, EPIC (Executive-
Process/Interactive Control) and CLARION-
model.s
TYPES OF CA
• There are three main types of CA used in HCI
research:
1. Symbolic Architecture: Represents knowledge
using symbols and rules; simulates logical
reasoning. Ex- ACT-R
2. Connectionist Architecture:Models cognition
using artificial neural networks; focuses on
learning from data. Ex- PDP
3. Hybrid Architecture
RELEVANCE OF CA in IS
• CA helps bridge the gap between human
cognition and system design.
• Cognitive Architecture = Blueprint for
designing systems that “think” with the user.
• Applications are Usability Testing, Interface
Design, Automation Design, Training Systems,
Decision Support Systems.
MODEL HUMAN PROCESSOR
• The Model Human Processor (MHP) is a
fundamental model in HCI proposed by Card,
Moran, and Newell (1983).
• It describes how humans process information
while interacting with computers.
• MHP treats a human as an information
processing system with three main
subsystems: Perceptual, Cognitive and Motor.
OOP
• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a
programming paradigm that organizes
software design around “objects” — entities
that represent real-world things.
• OOP is used to design modular, reusable, and
interactive user interfaces (UI), where each UI
element (like button, menu, window) can be
represented as an object.
OOM of UI DESIGN
• Object-Oriented Modeling (OOM) in UI design
applies OOP principles to model and represent
the structure, behavior, and interaction of UI
components.
• Promotes reusability and consistency in
interface design.
• Simplifies maintenance and scalability.
• Allows rapid prototyping of UI components.
• Enhances user experience by modeling real-
world objects directly into the interface.
KEY COMPONENTS OF OOM
1. Object: A real-world entity having data (attributes)
and behavior (methods).
2. Class: Blueprint or template used to create objects.
3. Encapsulation: Bundling of data and related
functions together.
4. Inheritance: One class can reuse or extend features
of another class.
5. Polymorphism: One interface, multiple behaviors.
6. Abstraction: Hiding unnecessary details and showing
essential features only.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. Define Cognitive Architecture (CA). Explain its role in
Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) with suitable
examples.
2. Differentiate between Symbolic, Connectionist, and
Hybrid Cognitive Architectures.
3. Discuss the relevance and applications of Cognitive
Architecture in Information System (IS) design.
4. Explain the Model Human Processor (MHP). What are its
major subsystems and processing cycles?
5. Explain the process of Object-Oriented Modeling (OOM)
for User Interface Design.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
6. Illustrate with examples how OOP principles can
be applied to represent user interface elements in HCI.
7. What is Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)?
Describe its main features and explain how OOP
supports user interface design.
8. List and explain the advantages of using OOM in
UI design. How are UML diagrams
9. How does the Model Human Processor help in
predicting user performance and interface efficiency?
