Assessing the Relationship between Cognitive Load and the Usability of a Mobile Augmented Reality Tutorial System: A Study of Gender Effects

Abstract

In this study, the relationship between the usability of a mobile Augmented Reality (AR) tutorial system and cognitive load was examined. In this context, the relationship between perceived usefulness, the perceived ease of use, and the perceived natural interaction factors and intrinsic, extraneous, germane cognitive load were investigated. In addition, the effect of gender on this relationship was investigated. The research results show that there was a strong relationship between the perceived ease of use and the extraneous load in males, and there was a strong relationship between the perceived usefulness and the intrinsic load in females. Both the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of use had a strong relationship with the germane cognitive load. Moreover, the perceived natural interaction had a strong relationship with the perceived usefulness in females and the perceived ease of use in males. This research will provide significant clues to AR software developers and researchers to help reduce or control cognitive load in the development of AR-based instructional software.