A graphical user interface for medical image analysis with declarative spatial logic - Cognitive and memory load evaluation

Broccia G., Ciancia V., Latella D., Massink M.

User-centred design  Cognitive evaluation  Medical image analysis  Spatial logic  Spatial model checking 

Logic based (semi-)automatic contouring in Medical Imaging has shown to be a very promising and versatile technique that can potentially greatly facilitate the work of different professionals in this domain while supporting explainability, easy replicability and exchange of medical image analysis methods. In such a context there is a clear need of a prototype Graphical User Interface (GUI) support for professionals which is usable, understandable and which reduces unnecessary cognitive load to the minimum, so that the focus of attention can remain on the main, critical, tasks such as image segmentation in support of planning of radiotherapy. In this paper we introduce a first proposal for a graphical user interface for the segmentation of medical images via the spatial logic based analyser VoxLogicA. Since both the logic approach to image analysis and its application in medical imaging are completely new, this is the first step in an iterative development process that will involve various analysis and development techniques, including empirical research and formal analysis. In the current work we analyse the GUI with a focus on the cognitive and memory load aspects which are critical in this domain of application.

Source: ISTI Technical Report, ISTI-2021-TR/012, pp.1–39, 2021

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