Applying the Norman 1986 User-Centered Model to Post-WIMP UIs: Theoretical Predictions and Empirical Outcomes

In recent decades, “post-WIMP” interactions have revolutionized user interfaces (UIs) and led to improved user experiences. However, accounts of post-WIMP UIs typically do not provide theoretical explanations of why these UIs lead to superior performance. In this article, we use Norman’s 1986 model of interaction to describe how post-WIMP UIs enhance users’ mental representations of UI and task. In addition, we present an empirical study of three UIs; in the study, participants completed a standard three-dimensional object manipulation task. We found that the post-WIMP UI condition led to enhancements of mental representation of UI and task. We conclude that the Norman model is a good theoretical framework to study post-WIMP UIs. In addition, by studying post-WIMP UIs in the context of the Norman model, we conclude that mental representation of task may be influenced by the interaction itself; this supposition is an extension of the original Norman model.