title: Prior schemata transfer as an account for assessing the intuitive use of new technology.
abstract: New devices are considered intuitive when they allow users to transfer prior knowledge. Drawing upon fundamental psychology experiments that distinguish prior knowledge transfer from new schema induction, a procedure was specified for assessing intuitive use. This procedure was tested with 31 participants who, prior to using an on-board computer prototype, studied its screenshots in reading vs. schema induction conditions. Distinct patterns of transfer or induction resulted for features of the prototype whose functions were familiar or unfamiliar, respectively. Though moderated by participants' cognitive style, these findings demonstrated a means for quantitatively assessing transfer of prior knowledge as the operation that underlies intuitive use. Implications for interface evaluation and design, as well as potential improvements to the procedure, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Tsukuba, Dept. of Risk Engineering, LCSS (Laboratory for Cognitive Systems Science), Laboratory of Advanced Research B, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan. Electronic address: fischer@css.risk.tsukuba.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: University of Tsukuba, Dept. of Risk Engineering, LCSS (Laboratory for Cognitive Systems Science), Laboratory of Advanced Research B, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan. Electronic address: itoh@risk.tsukuba.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.affiliation: University of Tsukuba, Dept. of Risk Engineering, LCSS (Laboratory for Cognitive Systems Science), Laboratory of Advanced Research B, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan. Electronic address: inagaki@risk.tsukuba.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inagaki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004867:Equipment Design; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019545:Intuition; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D018581:Technology Transfer; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: Intuitive use; Schemata theory; Transfer