Spatial-cognitive ability and its relation to information delivery in the construction industry

摘要

Construction skilled labor is fundamentally measured by productivity and quality of work, based upon an individual's ability to perform activities. Every individual has an innate talent in which they can understand the complexity of information to perform their activity. Construction activities often appear as inordinately complex multi-directional systems. The goal of this research was to understand differences in individual comprehension, and identify if complex information can be understood at the same rate by all levels of individual spatial-comprehension. This research was given direction by focus groups in North America conducted with pipefitters. Experiments then tested the influence of three information formats by assembling mock pipe. Traditional isometric drawings served as the baseline test, then the influence of adding 3D perspectives was assessed. The influence of added 3D perspectives allowed individuals with lower spatial-cognitive abilities to perform as efficiently as subjects with higher spatial-cognitive abilities, increasing overall productivity across ability levels.