An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Screen Size and Resolution on the Legibility of Graphics in Automated Job Performance Aids.
Abstract
The electronic delivery of technical information in computer-based job performance aids (JPAs) for maintenance will rely heavily on graphic displays of schematics, printed circuit (PC) boards, illustrated parts breakdowns (IPBs), and locator diagrams. Optimal levels of critical visual display parameters such as screen size and resolution must be identified to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of task performance and to determine device design requirements. The purpose of this experiment was to determine how locator task performance varied as a function of changes in display screen size and resolution when information needed to perform a task is presented in a graphic format. Graphic displays of PC boards were presented on a cathode ray tube (CRT) under varying conditions of screen size and resolution. Students were asked to locate test points on an actual PC board, based on test points identified by a flashing arrow on a graphic display of the PC board. The results demonstrated that screen size affected response accuracy only when the graphic display contained a large number of highly similar, densely packed test points (i.e., there was low descriminability among the test points). In this case, the largest screen size produced the highest accuracy rates. Screen size did not affect response accuracy when the test points on the graphic display were of many different shapes and sizes (i.e., there was high discriminability among the test points).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 30, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA155989
Entities
People
- D. J. Dwyer