What is the Tetris Mapping Experiment?


The Tetris Mapping Experiment is a demonstration that shows how human performance is impacted by system design. The demonstration is simple. Pick between one of the two Tetris games provided, note your performance, then try the other game. The games vary in one key way: How the controls are mapped to the game. Despite perfect knowledge of the mapping, of the objective, and of strategy, one of the games produces significantly better results than the others. This demonstrates how systems design (in this case the interface) affects performance independent of user knowledge or skill. It is a fundamental concept in Systems of Human Performance.


Key Lessons:

  • Design Trumps Knowledge: Good system understanding cannot overcome poor interface design
  • Cognitive Load Effects: Mental effort translating intentions into actions reduces overall performance
  • Natural Mappings Enable Flow: Intuitive designs let users focus on goals rather than mechanics
  • System vs. User Responsibility: Poor performance may indicate design problems, not user deficiencies
Tetris - Select Controls

🎮 TETRIS

Select Your Control Scheme

Mapping A (Classic)

  • ⬅️ Left Arrow - Move Left
  • ➡️ Right Arrow - Move Right
  • ⬇️ Down Arrow - Soft Drop
  • ⬆️ Up Arrow - Rotate
  • ⎵ Spacebar - Hard Drop

Mapping B (Custom)

  • ⬅️ Left Arrow - Rotate Shape
  • ⎵ Spacebar - Move Left
  • ➡️ Right Arrow - Hard Drop
  • ⬆️ Up Arrow - Move Right
  • ⬇️ Down Arrow - New Random Shape

Game Info

Controls

Score: 0
Time: 2:00

Time's Up!

Final Score: 0

Real-World Applications:

  • Software interfaces and user experience design
  • Industrial control panels and equipment design
  • Business process design and workflow optimization
  • Training vs. design solutions in workplace performance


Simulation Mechanics:

  • Comparison of identical games with different control schemes
  • Real-time performance metrics showing the quantifiable impact of design choices
  • Direct user experience of frustration vs. flow states
  • Objective evidence that design choices affect all users regardless of skill level



Educational Impact:

The experiment challenges assumptions about:

  • Individual vs. System Attribution: When to blame the user vs. the system
  • Training Limitations: What training can and cannot fix
  • Design Investment: Why good upfront design matters more than user adaptation
  • Performance Analysis: Looking at systems, not just individuals, when problems occur


The Tetris Mapping Experiment is particularly powerful because it eliminates the usual excuses for poor performance (lack of knowledge, unclear goals, insufficient training) and isolates the pure impact of system design on human capability.


This makes it an ideal demonstration for convincing skeptics that good design is not a luxury but a necessity for enabling human performance.