Optimal Design of Event Lists (ODELs) Phase 1: Does List Format Facilitate Visual Search for Information.

摘要

This report documents the first in a series of studies on the optimal design of event lists (ODELs) for Technical Operations use. The ODELs study described in this report examines whether event list format has an impact on user performance when searching for information. The stimuli consisted of four different list formats: delineated, non-delineated, ledger shading, and white text on a blue background. These formats represented list formats currently in existence in the operational environment. Researchers measured task completion time, accuracy, and eye-scanning metrics such as number of fixations, fixation duration, blink frequency, pupil diameter, and number of reversals. Additionally, researchers collected subjective ratings of difficulty and preference rankings for each of the four conditions. The results indicated that the list design did not have a significant impact on task completion time or the number or duration of fixations. However, list design did appear to impact the error rate, subjective ratings of difficulty, and user preference. Participants made fewer errors in the ledger shading and delineated conditions, rated them as less difficult, and ranked them as most preferred. Maintenance specialists in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) routinely engage in visual searches for information on system events. Often, system information appears in the form of an event list. This study describes the first of a set of experiments aimed at identifying event list qualities conducive to rapid visual search.