  In the rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field of quantum information
science and technology, a big obstacle is the necessity of understanding
high-level mathematics to solve complex problems. Visualizations like the
(dimensional) circle notation enable us to visualize not only single-qubit but
also complex multi-qubit states, entanglement, and quantum algorithms. Current
findings in educational research suggest that incorporating visualizations in
settings of problem solving can have beneficial effects on students'
performance and cognitive load compared to solely relying on symbolic problem
solving content. In this pilot study, we aim to take a first step to identify
in which contexts students benefit from the presentation of visualizations of
multi-qubit systems in addition to mathematical formalism. We compare students'
performance, time taken, and cognitive load when solving problems using the
mathematical-symbolic Dirac notation alone with using it accompanied by the
circle notation or the dimensional circle notation in single- and multi-qubit
systems. Although little overall differences in students' performance can be
detected depending on the presented representations, we observe that
problem-solving performance is student- and context-dependent. In addition, the
results indicate reduced cognitive load when participants are presented with
visualization. The results are discussed with respect to relevant design
aspects for future studies.
