Applying Cognitive Science to User Assistance

Applying Cognitive Science
to User Assistance
RAY
GALLON
CULTURECOM

Member, Board of Directors

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Who Is This Guy?
Ray Gallon - The Humanist Nerd
Owner/Consultant,
Culturecom
–
specialist
in

usability,

content
strategy,
and
user
assistance
for
software
Research
collaborator
and
principal,
The
Transformation
Society,

a
new
research
and
training
institute
in
Barcelona,
Spain

■ 20+
years
in
technical
communication
with
major
companies
such
as
G.E.

Healthcare,
Alcatel,
IBM,
etc.

■ Member,
board
of
directors,
Society
for
Technical
Communication
(STC)
■ Past
president,
STC
France
■ Award-‐winning
radio
producer
and
journalist
–
CBC,
NPR,
France
Culture,

etc.
and
former
programme
manager,
WNYC-‐FM,
New
York
Public
Radio

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

The only thing we know about the future 
is that it will be different
Peter Drucker
“Lea
rn
deve ers” focu
lo
s
know pment a es on the
n
l
really edge and d approp human
ri
what more the skill, whic ating new
’s go
ing o essence h I think i
s
n. !
of!
– Joh

Our job is to help people use our
products well and wisely, which
means they learn to adapt,  
RAY
GALLON
and cope with changes in
technology and society.

n Ca

rroll

C U LT U R E C O M

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Procedures Aren’t Enough

S

Save
money
in
production
and
localization

with
reduced
content

I
TH

Don’t
waste
user’s
time
with
unnecessary

detail,
especially
concepts

DO

Two
common
ideas
about
minimalism:

!
WARNING
NOT
E:

STEP
1
STEP
2
STEP
3

DON’T DO THAT

Is
me
moriz

ow
ing
a
p
neces
nt,
h
roced
sary
f
orta ut

ure
by
or
com
How
d
e
imp witho

rote

peten
ts
ar em

o
I
kn
cy?
cep
ow
if

n
h
I
need
If
co include
t
?”

to
do
e

time

this?
do
w g
users’
astin
“w
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Not Just Minimal – Minimal and
Meaningful
roduct
use

learn
about
p
People
best

nd
making

something
a
by
doing
e
process.

nections
in
th
con

the

put ill
be

ing
– ey
w
y
do
arn
b
where
th red.
Le
epts emembe
conc and
r
eful

us

Minim
al
and

meanin
unders
gful:
o
tand
m
ne
task
any
rel
Minim

helps

ated
ta
al
and
us

sks.

mean
us
we
ingful

don’t
:
one

need
we
do
quick

to
bo
).

look

ther
w
tells

ith
th
is
(or

that

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Provide Decision Support
User
assistance
that
is
limited
to

procedures
cannot
help
people

with
contingent
needs.

Modern
software’s
complexity,
features,
&
power

can
leave
users
perplexed
–
often
just
when
they

have
some
immediate,
contingent
need:

People
with
contingent
needs
are

not
going
to
wade
through
long

conceptual
texts.

!

“I
need
to
get
this
done,
and
NOW!.”

RAY
GALLON
CULTURECOM

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Help Troubleshoot

Seen
this

before?
l?
fu
lp
he
it

Is

What
impression
does
a
user
get
of
your

RAY
GALLON
company
when
s/he
sees
this
on
the
screen?
CULTURECOM

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Experience is More Important than Taxonomy
In
traditional
“static” documentation,
the
product
gives
meaning
to
the

docs.

Users’ experience
with
the
product
takes
them
from
the
abstract
realm
of

reading
about
the
product...

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Experience is More Important than Taxonomy
In
traditional
“static” documentation,
the
product
gives
meaning
to
the

docs.

Users’ experience
with
the
product
takes
them
from
the
abstract
realm
of

reading
about
the
product...

to
the
reality
of
performance.

!
!
!
!

For
software,
we
can
go
straight
to
performance-‐based
meaning
if
we

embed
the
user
assistance
in
the
product
itself.

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Everything We Know…

Get
straight
to
procedures

..
!
G

N
O

Don’t
waste
user’s
time
with

unnecessary
detail,
especially
concepts

R
W
S
I

Procedural
information
must
be

separated
from
conceptual
information.
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Double Embeddedness
 

ly
t

l
ec
ra dir
du e
ce nc
ro ta
ce
p
fa
s
ed ssi
er
mb
Embe
nt
A
E
I
d si
er the
mple
dire
Us o
ctly
conc
t
epts
in
User
into
Assi
the
stan
 
ce
Cogniti
ve Scie
(and Jo
nce
hn Carr
oll)
backs t
his up
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

What Happens When
We Learn by Doing?
Roger
C.
Schank’s
Schema
-‐
We
remember
independent,
self-‐
contained
scripts,
or
Memory
Organization
Packets
(MOP’s)
Restaurant

Airplane

Serve

wine
Being

seated

Pay

Eat

Choose

MOP’s
are
composed

of
scenes,
which
can

be
generalized
from

RAY
GALLON
one
MOP
to
another

Clothing
Shop

Fasten

Seatbelt
Being

seated

Pay
Choose

Pay
Eat

Try
on

Choose

Romantic

Conversation

CULTURECOM

REF:
http://cogprints.org/637/1/LearnbyDoing_Schank.html

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Active Learning:
Learning by Doing
Networks
of
Scenes
Pay
Network

Restaurant

Airplane

Serve

wine
Being

seated

Pay

Eat

Choose

MOP’s
are
composed

of

be
RAY
GALLON
one
MOP
to
another
CULTURECOM

REF:
http://cogprints.org/637/1/LearnbyDoing_Schank.html

Clothing
Shop

Fasten

Seatbelt
Being

seated

Pay

Pay
Eat

Choose

Try
on

Choose

Eat
Network
Choose
Network
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Cognitive Bases: Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt
psychology
tries
to
understand

the
laws
of
our
ability
to
acquire
and

maintain
stable
percepts
in
a
noisy
world.

We
ﬁll
in
blank
spaces
to

complete
images.

John
Carroll
favours
this
kind
of
inferential
learning
in
minimalism.
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestalt_psychology

Cognitive Bases: Two Learning Theories
Constructivism:

Experience

Act

Self-‐directed,
creative,
and
innovative

The
context
in
which
the
learning
occurs
is

central

Learning
is
active,
social,
collaborative
Connectivism:
Knowledge
exists
in
systems
accessed
through

participation
in
activities.

Learning
=
creating
connections
and
elaborating

a
network.

Currency
(accurate,
up-‐to-‐date
knowledge)
is
the

intent
of
learning
activities.
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(learning_theory)

Cognitive Theories Compared
Gestalt
Psychology

Basic Precept

The
brain
is
holistic,

parallel,
and
analog,

with
self-‐organizing

tendencies.

Constructivism

(Learning
Theory)

Connectivism
 
(Learning
Theory)

Experience
an

environment
ﬁrst-‐hand

to
get
reliable,
trust-‐
worthy
knowledge.

Learning
is
more
critical
than

knowing.

Learning
=
creating

connections
and
elaborating

a
network.

!

The
human
eye
sees

objects
in
their
entirety

before
perceiving
their

individual
parts,
suggesting

the
whole
is
“other”
than

the
sum
of
its
parts.

Learning
is
an
active,

social
process,
leading

to
collaboration
and

shared
understanding.

Knowledge
is
activated
in
the

world
as
much
as
in
the
head

of
an
individual.

Most Important
Activity

Inferential
Learning

Act
on
the
environment

–
acquire
and
test.
Be

self-‐directed,
creative,

and
innovative.

Perceiving,
maintaining
and

nurturing
connections

between
ﬁelds,
ideas
and

concepts

Role of Instructor
(or User
Assistance)

Present
just
enough

information
to

facilitate
inference

Facilitator
-‐
point
out

where
user
can
act
on

the
environment

Constructivist
facilitator

plus
networker
-‐
make

connections
where
they

don’t
seem
to
exist.

Implications

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
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reserved

Constructive Connectivism
The U
nderp
innin
KANB
g for
AN IN
FORM
ATI
+K
•

•

•

•

now
w
here
Know

how
Know

what
+Know

when

Implie
•

•

ON:

d:

+Know

how
t
o
be
+Know

how
t
o
be
w
ith
oth
ers

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Kanban Information:  
Help Users Learn Your Software Fast
We
want
to
give
the
user
all
the
information
s/he
needs
and
only
the

information
s/he
needs.

We
want
to
deliver
that
information
when
s/he
needs
it
–
which
implies,

at
the
moment
s/he
has
real
work
to
do.

The
logical
conclusion
is
that
user
assistance
needs
to
be
embedded
in

the
software
itself,
in
such
a
way
that:

The
user
can
ﬁnd
it
immediately,
without
excessive
searching,
if
 
s/he
needs
it.

If
s/he
doesn’t
need
it,
it
stays
out
of
the
way.
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

IC
CT
A
R

PP
O

R

TU

N

IT
Y

,P

As
richness
of
content

increases,
our
knowledge

becomes
more
and
more

c o m p l e x ,
c o g n i t i v e l y

s p e a k i n g .
We
r e t u r n

regularly
to
the
same

place,
but
on
a
higher

cognitive
level

O

RICHNESS
OF
THE
CONTENT

+

E

The Cognitive Spiral: 
Generating Cognitive Demand

Bloom’s
Pyramid

COGNITIVE-‐SYMBOLIC
COMPLEXITY

+

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

Adapted from a scheme by Dr. Neus Lorenzo

What if a Restaurant
Advertised itself like this?
Diners don’t
want edible
They want de
l i c i o u s!

!”lin
LEiche
IBide M
ED-Gu
“

Cust
omer
s do
They
n’t
want
want
a gr
usab
eat
le
expe
rien
c e!

STOMER
IRE CU
HE ENT
CHART
FOR T
SIBLE
HE ORG
RESPON
BE IN T
RE ALL
A
WE MAY
WE
EREVER
E - WH
PERIENC
EX
Presentation
©
22013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
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Presentation
©
013
Ray
Gallon
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Integrated Competency Learning
+
Cognitive
construction

and
process
reasoning
User  
Learning Space

+Socio-‐cultural
construction 
(information

sharing,
mentoring)
WHERE IN THIS SPACE
DO YOU WANT YOUR
USERS?

+Code:
Mastery
of
the
 
language,
interface,

iconography...

+Thematic
knowledge 
(SME)

...AND WHEN????

+
Individually
signiﬁcant 
contextualisation
(contingency)

+Procedural

Memorisation

The
architecture
of

the
scenes
we
design

for
our
user/learners

are
determinant

factors
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Adapted
by
Dr.
Neus
Lorenzo
from
Phil
Ball
&
Keith
Kelly
(2009)

Ref:
http://ow.ly/dLK8g

&

http://goo.gl/Ul3A2

Blending Concepts and Tasks:  
Kanban Information meets DITA
We
often
use
concepts
to
introduce
&
lead
into
multiple
tasks:

Concept:
This
concept

explains
what
this
element

of
the
interface
is
all
about.

It
is
used
in
the
following

tasks:

Task
1
Task
2
Task
3
Task
4

• We
don't
know
how
else
to
do
it,
but
this
is
an

inappropriate
use
of
conceptual
information:
•
•

Not
good
cognitive
development
Not
good
Kanban
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Blending Concepts and Tasks:  
Kanban Information meets DITA
Why
not
use
the
DITA
Task
topic
structure
to
deliver
conceptual
information

where
it
will
do
the
most
good
and
be
best
remembered?

<task>
Topic
!

General
conceptual
information
using
the
<context>
element
 
Include
decision
support
 
(Reusable
for
related
tasks)

Step
1

<cmd>
!
<stepresult>
–
What
happens
after
execution
–
can
include
why
Step
2

<cmd>

<info>
–
Use
when
there
is
no
result
to
embed
concepts
pertinent
to
the
step.
Make
sure
it

relates
to
the
task,
but
is
also
generalisable
to
other
similar
tasks,
if
appropriate

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

<choicetable> offers another option
<cmd>

<choicetable>

All
these
elements
are
available

after
a
<cmd>.
Use
the
one
that

works
best,
semantically.

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

DITA Composite Topic –  
One Size Fits All

The
composite
topic
begins,

simply,
with
a
<dita>
tag.
You
can

then
insert
any
type
of
DITA
topic,

nested
within
it.
!

Use
with
great
caution!
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

s
a

h
e
c
n
!
a
e
t
l
s
b
i
a
s
e
irst…
s
l
up f
A
g
ome
o
to c
r
o
eds
e
G
d ne
s
An
U
e
new Doing”
he
b
“Finding is t
o
t
–Ian Barker

Create yo
ur own st
akeholder
communit
including
user/lear
ies- 
ners as fu
ll collabor
ators

A Group is not a Community

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Integrated Learning Communities
Let p
eople
know
what
are t
you
racki
ng.

c
r
u
o
y
e
k
a
M
nd
a

k
o
o

s
e
i

b
u
P

c
i
l

s
rick
nd t
a
ips
t
ials
r
’
mate
sers
g
rn u
u
inin
T
tra
into

rs
de ay
ol w
eh me
n
ak sa
t
se i
s e
reu
you
de th
si rs
rial
both
te
n e
a
i m
from
te m
u
atGALLON
to
trib ur UA –
e
At
rRAY
cus
yo
T
CULTURECOM

Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

RAY
GALLON
CULTURECOM

Port
the
ions
of
Tran
this
sfor
pre
mat sent
ion
S atio
ocie n
bas
ty
R
eseaed
on
re
rch
g sear
roup ch
by
.

Thank
You!
Check
out
my
blog,
Rant
of
a
Humanist
Nerd: 

http://humanistnerd.culturecom.net

Email:
infodesign@culturecom.net
Google
Plus:
+Ray
Gallon
Twitter:
@RayGallon
LinkedIn:
Ray
Gallon
Link
to
related
Adobe
webinars
here:

http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2013/02/cognitive_design_user_assistance.html

Two
white
papers
published
on
Adobe
site:
•Changing Paradigms in Technology and Communication
•Crossing Boundaries: Implications for the Content Industries
Link:  
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?event=custom&sku=FS0003673&e=tcs_whitepaper 
Presentation
©
2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

Applying Cognitive Science to User Assistance

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