A comparison of hierarchically paged and scrolling displays for fault finding

Abstract

The selection of test points when fault finding with a hierarchically paged display is more efficient than when using a scrolling display. However, this difference is not found with more able subjects. An unexpected finding is that both displays seem to facilitate more consistent performance than that obtained when the operator's view of the system is unrestricted. The effect of restricting system information by a ‘window’, as both types of display do, is discussed in terms of strategies operators may adopt in consequence, in particular strategies to cope with memory load.