Cognitive Content Strategy
Two dimensions of cognitive style.
by @TylerTate

Cognitive styles are the stable attitudes,
preferences, and habitual strategies that
determine how an individual processes
information.

Holist
Serialist

Serialists are detail-oriented craftsmen.

Holists are big-picture visionaries.

Serialists spend on average 50% more
time, visit almost twice as many pages,
and click 50% more links than holists.

Serialists spend on average 50% more
time, visit almost twice as many pages,
and click 50% more links than holists.
But, expert serialists are just as effective as
expert holists. The gap is between novices.

1. Use microcopy to help novices
become experts

Holist
Serialist

Holist
Verbaliser Imager
Serialist

Dual Coding Theory: visual and verbal
information are processed differently and
along distinct channels with the human
mind creating separate representations each.

1. Use text and images
A study by Mayer & Simms found a
30% rise in effective problem solving
when verbal and visual instruction were
given at the same time (compared with
providing one followed by the other).

2. Visualise complex information
Presenting aggregate data in visual form
helps the user understand the
information landscape more quickly and
intuitively than could text.

3. Use concrete language.
“Concrete words, phrases, sentences,
and texts have been found to be more
imageable, comprehensible, memorable,
and interesting than abstract language
units.” – Sadoski

4. You should be as concise as possible
A study by Riding and Sadler-Smith
found that a 40% reduction in word
count combined with greater use of
visual illustrations improved student’s
test scores from 67% to 82%.

Holist
Verbaliser Imager
Serialist

“There are some universal cognitive tasks that
are... so deep and profound that it is
worthwhile to understand them in order to
design our displays in accord with those tasks.”
– Edward Tufte

Cognitive Styles on UX Magazine
http://uxmag.com/design/cognitive-styles
Learning Styles on Johnny Holland
http://johnnyholland.org/2011/06/16/learning-
styles-the-cognitive-side-of-content/

Information Seeking on the Web
by Kyung-Sun Kim (2001)
http://tinyurl.com/kyungsun
Type of Instructional Material, Cognitive
Style and Learning Performance
by Riding & Sadler-Smith (1992)
For Whom Is a Picture Worth a Thousand
Words? by Mayer & Sims, 1994
http://tinyurl.com/mayersims

Cognitive Content Strategy
Two dimensions of cognitive style.
by @TylerTate