Situations That Affect Modelers' Cognitive Difficulties: An Empirical Assessment

Modeling guidelines are intended to help modelers develop conceptual models. Therefore it is assumed that these guidelines assist modelers in developing models. However research suggests that modeling guidelines are often complex. Thus there is a concern that if modeling guidelines are not well designed, modelers may not find them useful and will have difficulty in applying them. In the context of developing conceptual models, the effectiveness of ontological modeling guidelines has previously been tested. However, the usefulness of these guidelines has not previously been investigated. To test the usefulness of ontological modeling guidelines, four modeling situations were developed in UML class diagrams. Using a protocol analysis study, the cognitive difficulties of modelers placed into these situations were identified. The results indicate that the proper application and use of ontological modeling guidelines can significantly reduce the cognitive efforts of modelers. However, if the ontological modeling guidelines are inadequate, they increase rather than decrease modelers' cognitive efforts.