Prediction of the search time in a complex screen scanning task.

E. Nygren, A. Allard, M. Lind

Report no. 59, CMD, Uppsala University, 1995.

Abstract

We had investigated four simple decision making tasks where interpretation of a computer display was involved. The results had shown that the search times were significantly shorter if the presentation conditions were such that patterns were formed in the displays compared to if no pattern was formed. In ordinary work situations, decision tasks are more complex. In order to study if the effect was present also in a complex task we performed an experiment with a combined task where the effect of pattern recognition could be predicted from the results of the former experiments. The results show that the prediction was correct within 10%. The complex task was performed about twice as fast in the pattern condition compared to the control condition. The effect thus is stable enough to enable predictions and large enough to have practical consequences.