/
What if you could measure how hard an interface is to think about?
An eye-tracking study comparing cognitive load across cloud-provider consoles — and turning "this feels confusing" into evidence.
Role
Researcher
(study design → analysis → recommendations)
Context
MSc thesis, HSE University · UX Analytics & Information Systems Design
Methods
Eye-tracking, cognitive-load measurement, comparative analysis
Главное изображение кейса
Context
Cloud consoles are some of the densest interfaces people use daily — and "hard to use" is usually argued, not measured. For my thesis I asked a sharper question: *can we quantify how much mental effort different consoles demand, and see where the load actually spikes?*
Problem
Cognitive load is invisible in a normal usability test — you see that users struggle, but not precisely where or why. I wanted an objective signal, not just self-report.
Process
1
Research design
Designed a comparative study across cloud-provider console interfaces.
2
Data collection
Used **eye-tracking** to capture where attention went, how long, and how effortfully (fixations, dwell, search patterns) as a proxy for cognitive load.
3
Analysis
Analysed the data to locate the interface moments where load concentrated.
4
Recommendations
Translated findings into design-relevant recommendations.
Result
- Made cognitive load *measurable* and comparable across real console interfaces.
- Pinpointed where interfaces overload users — the kind of evidence that settles design debates.
- Built a research muscle I bring into product work: I can validate designs with more than opinion.
What this case shows
— Rare research depth — I run rigorous studies, not just moderated tests.
— From evidence to design — measurement feeds directly into interface decisions.
— HCI foundation — psychology + methods, applied to real technical products.