Understanding the Characteristics of Human Memory and Their Role in Information Display
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In the realm of visual design and information visualization, understanding the intricacies of human memory, particularly sensory and short-term memory, plays a pivotal role. This knowledge helps designers craft visualizations that align with human cognitive capacities for processing and retention.
The human memory system consists of three main types: Sensory Memories, Short-term Memories, and Long-term Memories. Sensory memory acts as a very brief initial stage, holding sensory information just long enough for further processing. This means visualizations need to quickly capture attention and convey key visual cues before the sensory trace fades.
Short-term or working memory, which can hold around 7 (+/-2) items for 20-30 seconds, guides designers to limit the amount of information presented at once to avoid overload. To aid comprehension and recall, content should be structured in chunks or meaningful groups.
George A. Miller's work, "The magical number seven, plus or minus two," discusses the capacity of short-term memory. To optimize clarity and reduce cognitive load, it is recommended to limit the number of chunks of data in a visualization to no more than 9, and ideally no more than 5.
Visual sensory memory, also known as iconic memory, stores raw information received from the eye, processed automatically without conscious effort. Once someone's attention moves from one image to another, the first is quickly forgotten. This highlights the importance of immediate impact and clear visual cues in visual designs.
In addition, recent research points out how effective visual design can harness semantic cues and integrate multiple sensory aspects for more robust memory encoding and visualization impact. Emotional or affective elements can be incorporated to engage users on a sensory level and make memory traces more durable.
Interaction between the user and an information visualization primarily occurs in sensory and short-term memory. This interaction is crucial for understanding and retaining information. Interactive designs that allow users to manipulate or filter data support better understanding, as working memory actively maintains and manipulates information during tasks.
Despite advancements in neuroscience, human memory remains somewhat of a mystery. Much of our memory and information received is visual in nature, and data in the brain is stored in clusters of neurons, but the exact method of storage and encoding is unknown.
It is important to note that the majority of designs and information visualizations will not be committed to long-term memory. However, a static shock is an example of a memory that can be processed long-term due to a meaningful connection.
In summary, visual design and information visualization leverage the understanding of the brief capacity of sensory memory and the limited but manipulable span of short-term memory to optimize clarity, reduce cognitive load, segment information into manageable chunks, and often add affective or semantic layers to maximize comprehension and retention. By doing so, these visualizations can effectively communicate complex information, engaging users on multiple sensory and cognitive levels.
- UI design that integrates elements of science, such as understanding human memory, can help create visualizations that effectively communicate complex information, aligning with human cognition for processing and retention.
- In health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise contexts, using UI design principles that cater to the capacity of short-term memory (around 7 items for 20-30 seconds) and the importance of immediate impact and clear visual cues, can aid user comprehension and retention of crucial health information.
- For mental-health apps, incorporating affective or semantic layers into UI design can make memory traces more durable, engaging users on a sensory level and potentially helping them remember and apply the information better.
- In education-and-self-development platforms, well-structured visual content with the aid of UI design can help the user segment and process large amounts of information, promoting personal growth and learning effectively.
