Modeling icon search in ACT-R/PM

As the use of graphical user interfaces expands into new areas, icons are becoming an increasingly important aspect of GUIs. Oddly, little research has been done into the costs and benefits associated with using icons. One aspect of icons, icon borders, has been proposed as a means of adding information to icons. An experiment was conducted in which the potential cost in response time of using simple icon borders was investigated. Two models were then constructed in ACT-R/PM to carry out the same icon search task as in the experiment. The results of the modeling effort indicated an area where the design of the experiment could be improved. A second, ‘improved’ experiment was carried out, the results of which suggest areas for further improvement in the ACT-R/PM models.