The Impact of Perceived Cognitive Effectiveness on Perceived Usefulness of Visual Conceptual Modeling Languages Kathrin Figl 1 and Michael Derntl 2 1 Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Austria kathrin.figl@wu.ac.at 2 Systems & Databases, RWTH Aachen University, Germany derntl@dbis.rwth-aachen.de Abstract. Users’ perceptions and beliefs are relevant for the adoption of conceptual modeling languages in practice. This paper examines the relationship between user perception of the quality of a conceptual mod- eling language from a cognitive point of view and its perceived usefulness. The article builds on Moody’s framework of quality characteristics of vi- sual modeling languages. By means of an empirical study with 198 user ratings of diagrams drawn with different modeling languages used in the e-learning domain, we provide evidence that users’ perception of criteria such as graphic economy, a balanced combination of text and symbols, se- mantic transparency of symbols, and semiotic clarity influence perceived usefulness of visual conceptual modeling languages. These findings and their implications for practice and research are discussed. 1 Introduction Conceptual models are known to support the analysis, design, development, and documentation of software and data intensive systems. In particular, they are used for defining stakeholder requirements and for conceptualizing diffuse knowl- edge in domain. Models document the stakeholders’ understanding of a domain and the functionality of an information system. One main goal of requirements engineering is “conveying and promoting the understanding of the application domain” [1]. Consequently, models can improve the requirements engineering process and facilitate common understanding of domains and processes between users and system engineers [2]. Because of the positive effects, a large number of different modeling approaches targeting different levels or viewpoints within information systems—also addressing different domains—have been proposed. Yet, there is a discrepancy between (a) the attention paid to creating and devel- oping modeling languages in research and (b) their actual usage by practitioners in real-world applications. For instance, in the e-learning domain, instructional designers find it difficult in practice to use visual modeling languages to describe their design artifacts due to their unfamiliarity and the intrinsic complexity of the languages used [3]. Figl, K., Derntl, M. (2011). The Impact of Perceived Cognitive Effectiveness on Perceived Usefulness of Visual Conceptual Modeling Languages. 30th International Conference on Conceptual Modeling (ER 2011). Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 6998/2011, Brussels, Belgium, p.78-91.