A cognitive artifact is something physical or digital that has aided a mental process. Cognitive artifacts can be used to guide your problem-solving, recall, and/or thinking. These items are referred to as artifacts because they are leftover remnants indicative of the efforts it takes to unravel mental processes.
A UX designer’s cognitive artifacts may include: appointment books, lists of research questions that need to be asked during user interviews, equations that analyze relevant data, constructed hierarchical trees and wireframes.
