JOURNAL ARTICLE · EDITORIAL BRIEF
Understanding preference: a meta-analysis of user studies
Morten Hertzum
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · 2025
The finding or development
The systems people prefer are more consistently associated with lower workload than with faster task completion. A synthesis of 144 studies challenges the habit of treating preference as a secondary usability measure.
What supports it
Peer-reviewed meta-analysis · 144 studies
Reviewed: University repository abstract and publication record
Why it matters for design
Include workload and preference alongside task success and time. Do not assume a faster interface is necessarily the one people want to use.
Read with this in mind
The included tasks were almost entirely utilitarian. Associations do not establish causation; transfer to playful or expressive experiences needs testing. This brief is based on the abstract, not a full methodological appraisal.
Original source
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DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103408
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