For this, a component needs to have an independent, and by the user perceivable and controllable state, such as a radio button, a slider or a whole word processor application.
CBUT is based on both software architectural views such as model–view–controller (MVC), presentation–abstraction–control (PAC), ICON and CNUCE agent models that split up the software in parts, and cognitive psychology views where a person's mental process is split up in smaller mental processes.
Processes that operate on higher level layers are more abstract and focus on a person's main goal, such as writing an application letter to get a job.
The amount of effort put into operating a control loop is seen as an indicator for the usability of an interaction component.
Different CBUT methods have been proposed for SVTP and MVTP, which include measures based on recorded user interaction and questionnaires.
Whereas in MVTP the recorded data can directly be interpreted by making a comparison between two versions of the interaction component, in SVTP log file analysis is more extensive as interaction with both higher and lower components must be considered.
[4] Using a one-sample student's t-test, it is possible to examine whether users' rating of an interaction component deviates from this break-even point.