@inproceedings{47a4806d6f35485aaf39c795915a700b,
title = "Organize, Then Vote: Exploring Cognitive Load in Quadratic Survey Interfaces",
abstract = "Quadratic Surveys (QSs) elicit more accurate preferences than traditional methods like Likert-scale surveys. However, the cognitive load associated with QSs has hindered their adoption in digital surveys for collective decision-making. We introduce a two-phase {"}organize-then-vote{"}QS to reduce cognitive load. As interface design significantly impacts survey results and accuracy, our design scaffolds survey takers' decision-making while managing the cognitive load imposed by QS. In a 2x2 between-subject in-lab study on public resource allotment, we compared our interface with a traditional text interface across a QS with 6 (short) and 24 (long) options. Two-phase interface participants spent more time per option and exhibited shorter voting edit distances. We qualitatively observed shifts in cognitive effort from mechanical operations to constructing more comprehensive preferences. We conclude that this interface promoted deeper engagement, potentially reducing satisficing behaviors caused by cognitive overload in longer QSs. This research clarifies how human-centered design improves preference elicitation tools for collective decision-making.",
keywords = "Cognitive Load, Interactive User Interface, Preference Construction, Quadratic Survey, Survey Response Format",
author = "Cheng, {Ti Chung} and Yutong Zhang and Chou, {Yi Hung} and Vinay Koshy and Li, {Tiffany Wenting} and Karrie Karahalios and Hari Sundaram",
note = "We thank the voluntary participants who participated in the pretest, pilot, and the study. We thank all members of the Social Spaces Group and the Crowd Dynamics Lab for their support and early feedback. Special thanks to Yi-Ting Kuo, Hsin-Ni Yu, Yun-Shan Sam Yang, Katherine Chou, Chieh-Yun Chen, Prof. Brian Bailey, James Eschrich, Aditya Karan, Pranay Midha and the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback to this work. This work is partially funded by The Center for Just Infrastructures.; 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2025 ; Conference date: 26-04-2025 Through 01-05-2025",
year = "2025",
month = apr,
day = "26",
doi = "10.1145/3706598.3714193",
language = "English (US)",
series = "Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings",
publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery",
booktitle = "CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems",
address = "United States",
}