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Effects of personality and task strength on performance in computerized tasks.
Laurie A Richter1, Gavriel Salvendy1
1a School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University , West Lafayette , IN , 47907 , USA.
Ergonomics
|January 14, 2017
Summary
Computer interfaces can have personalities that affect user performance. Introverted users benefit from introverted interfaces, while extroverts perform better on low-strength tasks with extroverted interfaces.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Psychology
Background:
- Users often anthropomorphize technology.
- Understanding how interface personality impacts user experience is crucial for effective design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of embedding human personality traits into computer interfaces.
- To examine the interaction between interface personality and user personality on task performance.
Main Methods:
- Eighty university students were taught HyperCard using a 2x2x2 factorial design.
- Independent variables included interface personality (extroverted/introverted), user personality (extroverted/introverted), and task strength (low/high).
Main Results:
- Subjects perceived computer software as having human-like personalities.
- A significant interaction was found between interface design and user personality.
- Introverted users showed faster performance with introverted interfaces.
- Extroverted users performed faster on low-task strength conditions with extroverted interfaces.
Conclusions:
- Computer interfaces can be designed with distinct personalities that influence user interaction.
- Matching interface personality to user personality can enhance performance, particularly for introverted users.
- Task complexity moderates the effect of user personality on performance.
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