The nature of intuitive use of products : an experimental approach

Abstract

The term "intuitive use" has been widely used with respect to various products andsystems but has not yet been adequately defined. Through an extensive literature review,it was concluded that intuition is a cognitive process that utilises knowledge gainedthrough prior experience. Intuitive use of products involves utilising knowledge gainedthrough other products or experience(s). Therefore, products that people use intuitivelyshould be those with features they have encountered before. A set of experiments with adigital camera was conducted to test the thesis. The results of these experiments supportthe thesis. It was found that prior knowledge of features or functions of the cameraallowed participants to use those features intuitively, whereas unfamiliar features orfunctions had to be figured out, which was more time consuming and effortful.