Cognitive engineering,cognitive augmentation,and information display

Abstract— From a perspective of cognitive engineering, this paper presents eight principles of good display design based on human cognition: (1) displays that divide attention will increase the cognitive load on working memory; (2) displays that continuously present the same information may compensate for the decay of short‐term memory; (3) displays that assist the viewer in mentally chunking information will decrease the cognitive load on working memory; (4) displays that present icons or images to direct attention to important visual stimuli will likely minimize inattentional blindness; (5) displays that help minimize attentional distractions and help focus attention on a given task will minimize the burden on working memory; (6) displays that present cues composed of strong singletons will capture and engage exogenous attention; (7) displays that help the viewer make a mental connection between an analogue and a target will assist in the induction of analogical reasoning; (8) displays that present over time multiple exposures consisting of statistical regularities may promote implicit learning and expertise development. Thus, information displays of the future can systematically engage high‐level human cognitive processes for purposes of improving human performance on a variety of tasks found in education, the military, and many other applications.