Direct manipulation as a source of cognitive feedback: a human-computer experiment with a judgement task

Correctly designed feedback can play a pivotal role in improving performance.Human-computer interaction can generate various forms of feedback, and it is important to examine the effectiveness of the different options. This work compares: (1) feedback that is presented as information which is distinct from the user's action, with (2) feedback that is generated by direct manipulation and is embedded in the same information which facilitates the user's action. The former is the traditional form of feedback in which the user acts and receives feedback information from a distinct source. The latter is information generated during the user's action, and it becomes effective feedback only when the individual uses this information as feedback. This paper explains why certain elements of direct manipulation can invoke the second form of feedback. An experiment demonstrates that feedback resulting from direct manipulation is more effective and time efficient than the distinct form of feedback in conditions of high task complexity. However, direct manipulation has its limits and must be complemented with traditional forms of feedback for complex cognitive tasks.