There are two types of memory retrieval : recognition and recall.
Recognition refers to our ability to “recognize” an event or piece of information as being familiar, while recall designates the retrieval of related details from memory. (Nielson, 2014).
It is easier to recognize things that we have experienced earlier than having to recall those from memory. For example, when you go to an Italian restaurant, an image or a description of the ingredients of a dish (that you have tasted before) will instantly provide you with cues of how it tasted than when the menu has only the name. Just the name of the dish will make you search your memory for when you had it and how it felt. You may or may not be successful in recalling this.
This concept can be employed to digital interfaces as well. I have experienced this especially when instructing my mother on how to use her smartphone. I have often observed that my mother fails to understand when I ask her to use the “search” function on the phone. I believe, this makes her recall what “search” looks like. But when I tell her to look for the magnifying glass on her screen, she is instantly able to associate and locate the search function. Here, recognition is being used.
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Real life example
