Journal of Educational Sciences
Vol. 10 No. 5 (2026): Journal of Educational Sciences

Analyzing The Effect of Theory-Based User Interface Design in Mobile Learning Application on PSTI Students’ Extraneous Cognitive Load

Herliana, Ikeu (Unknown)
Septiadi, Jaka (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 May 2026

Abstract

The limited screen size of mobile devices can increase users’ Extraneous Cognitive Load (ECL), hindering effective Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in digital environments. This study aims to design a mobile learning application (MLA) interface integrating User Interface Design (UID) principles with SRL theory and to evaluate its impact on learners’ ECL. Adopting DBR, a prototype was developed and evaluated by 144 respondents using an ECL questionnaire and open-ended feedback. Descriptive statistics revealed that the interface successfully minimized cognitive load, with all dimensions categorized as low. The Aesthetic and Minimalist Design dimension recorded the lowest mean score (2.55). However, thematic analysis revealed issues such as reading fatigue from dense text and subtle navigation cues. Consequently, a design iteration was executed to implement micro-learning content chunking, centralize navigation, and enhance visual signaling. The findings highlight that minimizing ECL through strict UID compliance is essential to support SRL. This research contributes an empirical study by integrating UID principles and SRL theory within a DBR approach to systematically reduce extraneous cognitive burdens.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JES

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Education Library & Information Science Other

Description

JES publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring regionally and internationally in the educational sciences with the aim to advance our knowledge both in term of theory and practice. Moreover, this journal also covers the issues concerned with the following special sections: ...