Objective assessment of user interfaces

Meet Cømpass the AI that measures visual complexity

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Cognitive resources are limited in users. They should be used to solve tasks, not to operate interfaces.

Cømpass uses computer vision to measure dozens of factors that contribute complexity to an interface, thus depleting cognitive resources and hindering user performance.

Computer vision detects what people can't

Computer vision can analyse details and relationships that far exceed the boundary of human perception. Research in cognitive science has identified dozens of factors that predict cognitive load and correlate with performance in the use of digital interfaces.
fMeasureDescriptionCuesGUI TypeDimension
f
f1
Measure
Number of elements
Description
Total number of all UI components
Cues
124
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Visual complexity
f
f2
Measure
Alignment
Description
Arrangement of components on the UI
Cues
17
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Structural
f
f3
Measure
Density
Description
Ratio of total area covered by the UI components to the entire screen
Cues
86
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Visual complexity
f
f4
Measure
Element connectedness
Description
Closeness of UI components in layout
Cues
54
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Perception
f
f5
Measure
Common region
Description
Clearness of the gap between groups of components
Cues
23
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Perception
f
f6
Measure
Grouping
Description
Number of objects that are distinguishable
Cues
243
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Visual complexity
f
f7
Measure
Sequence
Description
Organization of components for easy perception
Cues
15
GUI Type
Embedded, Mobile
Dimension
Structural
f
f8
Measure
Cohesion
Description
Equality level of UI components’ aspect ratio with the display’s AR
Cues
41
GUI Type
Embedded
Dimension
Visual complexity
f
f9
Measure
Size
Description
The size of UI component
Cues
8
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Perception
f
f10
Measure
Balance
Description
Layout smoothness of UI components
Cues
87
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Perception
f
f11
Measure
Equilibrium
Description
Degree of overlap of the center of all components with the display’s center
Cues
25
GUI Type
Embedded
Dimension
Structural
f
f12
Measure
Symmetry
Description
Degree of uniform placement of UI components on an axis
Cues
26
GUI Type
Embedded
Dimension
Structural
f
f13
Measure
Colour variety
Description
The amount of displayed colours
Cues
124
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Visual complexity
f
f14
Measure
Clusters of colour
Description
The number of clusters of RGB values
Cues
17
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Visual complexity
f
f15
Measure
Entropy
Description
Shannon’s information entropy of UI image
Cues
86
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Visual complexity
f
f16
Measure
Luminance
Description
Standard deviation of pixel luminance values
Cues
54
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Perception
f
f17
Measure
Figure-ground contrast
Description
Separation of UI components from the background
Cues
23
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Perception
f
f18
Measure
White space
Description
Ratio of the area without any UI element to the entire UI area
Cues
243
GUI Type
Web, Mobile, Embedded
Dimension
Perception
Cømpass is the objective foundation for better digital products.
*The impact of interface design on user performance in recurring digital tasks: a comparative study. Manuscript in preparation.
Cømpass is currently under development, with a focus on GUIs used by professionals in high stakes industries.

Common questions

  • How is Cømpass different from other tools in the field of design?

  • Is insight from an AI tool better than direct feedback from users?

  • How can Cømpass be used in design practice?

  • When will Cømpass be commercially available?

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