Theoretical basis for code presentation: A case for cognitive load

TL;DR

This paper explores the psychological foundations of cognitive load in programming, especially for blind and low-vision users, proposing design recommendations to reduce CL and improve task performance.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical framework based on psychological science to evaluate and improve code presentation for BLV developers, addressing a gap in current accessible solutions.

Findings

Identifies key aspects of cognitive load affecting programming performance.

Evaluates existing solutions for their impact on cognitive load.

Proposes design recommendations to reduce cognitive load for BLV users.

Abstract

Evidence supports that reducing cognitive load (CL) improves task performance for people of all abilities. This effect is specifically important for blind-and-low-vision (BLV) individuals because they cannot rely on many common methods of managing CL, which are frequently vision-based techniques. Current accessible "solutions" for BLV developers only sporadically consider CL in their design. There isn't a way to know whether CL is being alleviated by them. Neither do we know if alleviating CL is part of the mechanism behind why these solutions help BLV people. Using a strong foundation in psychological sciences, we identify aspects of CL that impact performance and learning in programming. These aspects are then examined when evaluating existing solutions for programming sub-tasks for BLV users. We propose an initial design "recommendations" for presentation of code which, when followed, will reduce cognitive load for BLV developers.