Cognitive Diversity and Interaction Costs in Digital Environments

Digital human–technology interaction is shaped by substantial differences in attention, working memory, sensory processing, learning, and task-performance strategies. Interfaces designed around an "average user" may therefore support some people while imposing additional cognitive or sensory effort on others. Although accessibility and usability research has produced important design principles, evaluations based primarily on group-level averages can conceal meaningful variation between users. Existing measures of usability, cognitive load, and task performance often indicate whether an interface facilitates or hinders interaction, but provide less insight into for whom an effect occurs, why it occurs, and how it depends on the interaction context. Cognitive Fit Theory and Cognitive Load Theory offer useful perspectives for understanding these relationships, while research on neurodiversity and cognitive accessibility increasingly highlights the importance of moving beyond one-size-fits-all solutions. However, systematic evidence connecting interface characteristics, individual cognitive and sensory profiles, and situational conditions remains limited. Further investigation is needed to identify hidden interaction costs and establish more inclusive approaches to digital design.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of how cognitive and sensory diversity influences digital interaction. It will examine when specific interface features become supportive, demanding, or inaccessible for different users and under which conditions these effects emerge. Contributions may investigate how technology characteristics interact with users' cognitive profiles, sensory needs, strategies, and environmental circumstances. The Research Topic also seeks to develop and evaluate methods for detecting interaction costs that may be obscured by average-based assessment. A further objective is to establish evidence-based principles for interface personalization, adaptation, and configurability that reduce cognitive and sensory demands without creating new barriers.To gather further insights into the relationship between digital technology characteristics and human cognitive diversity, this Research Topic will focus on human–technology interaction and will not cover general research on neurodiversity, disability, digital education, or well-being unless it directly addresses interaction with technology. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Cognitive fit and cognitive mismatch in digital interaction, including perspectives from Cognitive Fit Theory and Cognitive Load Theory- Cognitive accessibility and the identification of hidden cognitive or sensory barriers- The effects of interface features on different user groups and cognitive profiles, including neuroatypical users- Personalized, adaptive, and configurable interfaces- Methods for identifying when the same technological solution supports one user but hinders another- Comparative studies of user groups, cognitive profiles, interface variants, and interaction contexts- Adaptive versus non-adaptive systems and their effects on cognitive load, usability, accessibility, and task performance- Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, experimental, and user-centered approaches to evaluating cognitive diversity in interaction- Theoretical models linking user characteristics, interface properties, and interaction costs- Design frameworks and evaluation metrics for inclusive digital environmentsThe Research Topic welcomes empirical, comparative, experimental, and methodological studies, as well as theoretical analyses and literature reviews, provided that they examine the relationship between technology characteristics and user diversity. Topic editors: Agnieszka Wąsik Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85765/cognitive-diversity-and-interaction-costs-in-digital-environments