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Navigating complexity: Design strategies to lower cognitive load in B2B Cloud Software
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School of Science |
Master's thesis
Electronic archive copy is available via Aalto Thesis Database.
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en
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98
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Abstract
Enterprise software accounts for the majority of revenue on the software market. Despite its market dominance, it is notoriously complex and often fails to meet user expectations and provide a satisfactory user experience. This thesis explores the measurement of extraneous cognitive load in the context of business-to-business (B2B) software to address the lack of studies applying cognitive load theory in enterprise environments. The focus of the study lies on a B2B cloud platform with the goal of identifying and applying a reliable method for measuring cognitive load and providing effective design strategies to reduce it.
A mixed-method research design was utilised, which included expert interviews and usability tests in two iterations - one with the current implementation of the system and one with the developed high-fidelity prototype. B2B challenges identified in the first phase of the research included increased complexity, prolonged organizational purchase processes, and varying stakeholder priorities.
The findings confirm that extraneous cognitive load has a negative impact on user performance and perceived task ease. The high-fidelity prototype led to significant improvements in error rates, perceived workload measured by NASA-TLX, and subjective ease of use. The most effective design practices for lowering cognitive load in the case platform were establishing a clear visual hierarchy that is aligned with the mental model of the user, simplifying navigation structures, and offering consistent and predictable design across the different interfaces.
The analysis indicates that poor navigation might impair the perceived ease of use, while error rates are significantly related to increased overall workload. The adapted navigation questions did not correlate with the NASA-TLX model. A slightly modified version of the Cognitive Load Decision Matrix tailored to B2B contexts is proposed and the thesis concludes that cognitive load assessments should become a standard part of usability evaluations in B2B software.