TY - JOUR SN - 0934-5043 A1 - Ruk??nas, R. A1 - Back, J. A1 - Curzon, P. A1 - Blandford, A. Y1 - 2009/12// ID - discovery16826 N1 - The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com IS - 6 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00165-008-0102-7 JF - Formal Aspects of Computing TI - Verification-guided modelling of salience and cognitive load EP - 569 SP - 541 N2 - Well-designed interfaces use procedural and sensory cues to increase the cognitive salience of appropriate actions. However, empirical studies suggest that cognitive load can influence the strength of those cues. We formalise the relationship between salience and cognitive load revealed by empirical data. We add these rules to our abstract cognitive architecture, based on higher-order logic and developed for the formal verification of usability properties. The interface of a fire engine dispatch task from the empirical studies is then formally modelled and verified. The outcomes of this verification and their comparison with the empirical data provide a way of assessing our salience and load rules. They also guide further iterative refinements of these rules. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the outcomes of formal analysis and empirical studies suggests new experimental hypotheses, thus providing input to researchers in cognitive science. KW - Human error KW - formal verification KW - salience KW - cognitive load KW - model checking AV - public VL - 21 ER -