Individual differences in human-computer interaction : a review of empirical studies

In the field of Human-Computer Interaction, researchers have found evidence of performance differences which may be attributed to variation among individual users. User’s traits, cognitive styles, cognitive abilities, psychomotor abilities and culture have been investigated as levels that could help explain this variability. This literature review focuses on eleven years of empirical journal publications on individual differences in HCI in the period of 2004-2014. Using different search terms and criteria, we included a total of 98 studies to be reviewed. We describe and evaluate studies’ domains, methods and impact. In addition, this paper presents a number of gaps in current research, implications and thoughts on designing computer systems and several recommendations for future research.