Context-Independent Comprehensibility means that units of information are designed in such a way that they are also understandable without their context – without the need for additional explanations or references. This makes it possible to grasp content more quickly and use it with fewer barriers.

Origin

The requirement for context-independent comprehensibility stems from considerations in cognitive psychology and communication science, which show that clearly structured, self-contained content facilitates information processing. Steve Krug emphasized in his book "Don't Make Me Think" (2000) as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) point out that content must be able to be grasped without additional context.

  • Krug, S. (2000). Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. New Riders Publishing.
  • W3C. (2008). «Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0». World Wide Web Consortium.

Application in UX and UI design

In UX and UI design, context-independent comprehensibility is of central importance as it reduces the cognitive load on users and enables intuitive information absorption. Designers should formulate all texts, links and interaction elements in such a way that they are clear and concise without further explanation.

One example is to use descriptive labels for navigation links – rather than a generic "More Information", a link should clearly state the content or purpose, such as "Our services at a glance".

This approach not only contributes to accessibility, but also improves the user experience, as the user immediately knows what to expect. At the same time, it is important to note that additional context may sometimes be necessary in complex applications; in such cases, the context should be integrated in such a way that it complements the information content without causing confusion.

A practical example can be found in information portals, where short, concise headings are combined with explanatory captions or labels to provide both immediate understanding and more in-depth information.

Impact on the User Experience

strong

Further information