Information Processing and Perceptual Characteristics of Display Design: The Role of Emergent Features and Objects

Abstract : In this report, the fundamental theoretical and applied principles are outlined, which have been cited to justify the relative benefits of object displays, the representation of several quantitative variables as features of single geometric objects. In particular, the proximity compatibility principle is described, which asserts that object displays will facilitate information integration tasks but will disrupt tasks that require focused attention on the individual dimensions of the object. Finally, an experiment is described contrasting three displays: a monochrome object, a multicolor object, and a separated bar graph display. Subjects were required to either integrate or focus attention on one of three sources of displayed information in an aircraft stall judgment task. Evaluation of the monochrome object revealed superior integration performance but degraded focused attention performance relative to the bar graph display, thus illustrating the proximity compatibility principle. The multicolored object, in contrast, emerged as a display concept that could potentially support accurate integration and focused attention performance, highlighting the role of emergent features and color coding, and suggesting some modifications of the proximity compatibility principle. The results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical application to multi- element interface design. (kr)