Concept Marketing Group Inc.

Within the context of usability and interface design, memorability refers to the user's ability to leave a program and then remember how to use it whenever he chooses to return to it. It is very common for people to use systems once or even many times only to completely forget how to use them later, whether the time gap is days, months, or years (hint: think of your tax statement software). Thus, improving memorability of an interface design is a good way to address the problem of forgetting how to use systems and the time that is wasted re-learning them.

Why is memorability important in the context of user interface design?

Memorability is ultimately important because users tend to forget how to use applications (i.e. navigate their user interfaces) when they do not use them all the time (e.g.only once a month), even more so when they use multiple different systems. Since each user interface design takes some time to get used to and operate productively, each time a user has forgotten how to operate the user interface, time is wasted or errors occur. Worst of all, if users aren't consistently using your program and can't remember how to use it when they return, they may decide to stop using the system altogether. This is why memorability matters.

There are many reasons why users use software inconsistently, but the point is you want the system you create to be easy to learn and remember. Thus, memorability is also tied closely to the concept of learnability, and what we know from both of these concepts is that learning and memory function best when the basics of the system are intuitive. This means that users learn and remember an interface design based on gut reactions of how to use the tools given to them. Intuitive systems can be difficult to create because all users perform tasks on interface designs with different levels of experience and understanding. Thus, what is intuitive for a tech geek is not usually intuitive for a beginner. Systems need to be designed to keep the basics intuitive with room for more complex operations to be performed as users become more experienced.

What factors make an interface design more memorable?

According to TNL.net, the things that make a user user interface design intuitive and memorable for users are usually due to two factors:

1. System feedback: When a user performs an action on a user interface he often receives a reaction that he did not expect. If the reaction elicited a positive emotional response then the user will remember how it was performed and what result occurred. Conversely, an action that elicits a negative emotional response will also allow the user to remember how the action was performed and what occurred. The point is, both reactions make the feature more memorable because we tend to remember our emotional response to unexpected reactions. Of course, you might try to ensure that there will be a positive emotional response.
2. Visual Cues: Icons, symbols and other visual cues allow the user to make related associations with the task at hand. For example, when a user sees the „Home“ icon that looks like a small house users are able to make the association, intuitively, that this icon will take them to the homepage. Visual cues that are logical and familiar to users allow them to make logical and familiar associations that make the user interface more memorable.

Testing user interface designs for memorability

User input is needed in order to assess whether or not an interface design is memorable. An effective way to obtain user input on the memorability is to usability test your interface design. A good method for testing memorability is to assess how users use and remember your interface design by sitting them down in front of it and having them run through it. You should do this in several sessions. It is important that you use more than one user, as all users do not remember system tasks in the same way. You should do several rounds of testing, spacing the “run-throughs” by minutes, hours, and maybe even a few days. Make sure you pay attention to your users’ unexpected reactions as well as their intuitive reactions to the visual cues. Interview and record your users’ feedback about the memorability of the interface design or have them fill out a survey—it is up to you how you concretely collect the data. After you have obtained your initial results, you can make the initial necessary changes to your system’s coding (or even better a wireframe prototype) and then repeat the aforementioned process by conducting several more sessions so that you can garner enough information to evolve a system characterized by optimal memorability.