Vertime

Vertime is a neologism used in discussions of time perception and information processing to denote the subjective duration of an activity as influenced by informational content rather than elapsed clock time. In this usage, vertime reflects how meaningful, verifiable, or emotionally salient a task feels, potentially diverging from its actual duration.

Etymology: The term combines 'ver' from truth or verifiable with 'time', signaling a duration experienced through the lens of information significance. It has appeared in fringe theories, cognitive psychology essays, and some UX discussions as a descriptive concept rather than a formal metric.

Concept and measurement: Vertime attempts to capture perceived time by asking participants to estimate duration after a task and by assessing cognitive load and information gain during the task. Because it is inherently subjective, vertime lacks standardized units and is sensitive to context, attention, and individual expectations.

Applications and limits: In usability research, vertime can complement clock time to gauge engagement and perceived efficiency. In theory-building, it provides a framework to discuss why two tasks with identical durations may feel longer or shorter. However, the lack of consensus and rigorous validation limits its practical utility.

See also: time perception, cognitive load, user engagement, information theory.