Using Cognitive Psychology to Understand Anticipated User Experience in Computing Products

Abstract

User Experience assessment is an evaluation of user's experience with the product, system or service during ‘use' (i.e., actual interaction experience) as well as ‘anticipated or before use' (i.e., pre-interaction experience).Whereas many user experience researchers may be conversant with explaining a person's experience during use of a product, system or service, they find it difficult to explain experience before a product or service is used (Anticipated Use), which in this chapter is referred to as Anticipated User Experience (AUX). This chapter applies the theory of cognitive psychology and its principles to best explain how Anticipated User Experience occurs and how this experience can be achieved. This chapter goes a long way in informing user experience researchers and practitioners on the relevance of attaining AUX in a computing product and how it can be achieved.