Dificultant

Dificultant is a neologism used to denote a factor, stimulus, or condition that increases the difficulty of a task, learning process, or problem solving. In this sense, a dificulant functions similarly to a difficulty factor or cognitive load source, but is framed as a discrete element that can be identified, isolated, and addressed within a system, study, or design.

Etymology and scope: The term is formed from the Latin root for difficult, combined with the English suffix -ant to indicate an agent or cause. It has appeared in some educational and cognitive science discussions since the 2010s, but remains informal and not widely standardized in dictionaries or formal taxonomies.

Definitions and distinctions: A dificulant refers specifically to an element that, under given conditions, elevates task demands or impedes progress. It is often contrasted with facilitators, which reduce difficulty or cognitive load. In practice, researchers may treat dificulants as components of instructional design, user interfaces, or assessment environments that hinder performance unless mitigated.

Examples and applications: In a digital learning platform, a dificulant might be a poorly organized navigation structure, ambiguous instructions, excessive time pressure, or high inter-item similarity in a set of problems. In user experience research, unclear error messages or nonintuitive workflows can be identified as dificulants contributing to user frustration.

Reception and alternatives: Because it is informal, some scholars prefer terms such as cognitive load source, difficulty factor, or barrier. Nevertheless, the concept of a dificulant remains useful for categorizing elements that reliably raise challenge levels and for guiding targeted simplification or redesign efforts. See also cognitive load, task difficulty, instructional design, usability.