Abstract:
BACKGROUND: The increasing amount of available data in digital
working environments raise considerable usability challenges. Beyond the
trend for automation of such processes, strategic decisions still depend on
humans in the loop who have to perceive, understand and process increasingly
complex information and to make quick and correct decisions with
considerable consequences for the effectiveness of the production process. OBJECTIVE: This work is concerned with a baseline experiment in
which effects of data presentations and information complexity on speed and
accuracy were studied taking table reading for inventory control as an example. METHODS: Experimentally, the information complexity (number of
lines per table, number of digits, specificity of labels) as well as
operators' cognitive ability (perceptual speed) was examined in terms of
decision speed and accuracy. In addition, learnability effects were
assessed. RESULTS: Results show a significant effect of all factors on task
performance. With increasing information complexity decision speed is
considerably decreased. Operators' perceptual speed modulates performance.
Low perceptual speed in conjunction with insufficient data presentation
results in significantly lower task performance. CONCLUSIONS: Usability and user-centered information displaying is
of vital importance for efficient operators' performance and to balance
mental workload. The findings contribute to an understanding of the
effects
of single factors in combination for mental workload and may
lead to better managerial decisions concerning the design of working
conditions (e.g. by automating processes).
