Beyond process model complexity: a multi-granular investigation across time and space based on eye-tracking
Journal
Process Science
ISSN
2948-2178
Type
Article
Date Issued
2026-01-24
Author(s)
Abstract
Process models support analysis, design, implementation, and operation of information systems and must therefore remain understandable for diverse process stakeholders. Numerous metrics estimate model complexity, yet their ability to predict the mental effort (i.e., cognitive load) users actually experience is still unclear. This study addresses that gap with a controlled eye-tracking experiment involving 27 participants and process models that systematically vary in essential complexity (logic) and accidental complexity (layout). Some of these models combine simple and complex parts. Task complexity is explicitly manipulated so that questions target regions of differing complexity. A coarse-grained level analysis tests how model and task complexity relate to cognitive load. Then, a fine-grained level analysis segments eye-tracking data in space and time while investigating users’ visual behavior and cognitive load during model comprehension. Results show that complexity metrics align with cognitive load when the essential and accidental complexity of process models are well captured, and that the task characteristics affect this relationship. Moreover, they show that distinct phases emerge during process model comprehension and that non-task-relevant regions in process models contribute to cognitive load in a non-uniform way (especially early in a task). These findings strengthen measurement practice in Business Process Management (BPM) by establishing an empirical correspondence between a comprehensive metric suite and multimodeal cognitive load indicators and point to adaptive modeling tools that help focus attention on task-relevant parts of process models.
Language
English (United States)
Keywords
Process model
Complexity metric
Cognitive load
Visual behavior
Difficulty
Eye tracking
HSG Classification
not classified
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
3
Number
1
Subject(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
Sorg2026 - Beyond process model complexity__ a multi-granular investigation across time and space based on eye-tracking.pdf
Size
3.84 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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