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Abstract
Visual search performance in visual display terminals can be affected by several changeable display parameters, such as the dimensions of screen, target size and background clutter. We found that when there was time pressure for operators to execute the critical battlefield map searching in a control room, efficient visual search became more important. We investigated the visual search performance in a simulated radar interface, which included the warrior symbology. Thirty-six participants were recruited and a three-factor mixed design was used in which the independent variables were three screen dimensions (7, 15 and 21 in.), five icon sizes (visual angle 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 min of arc) and two map background clutter types (topography displayed [TD] and topography not displayed [TND]). The five dependent variables were completion time, accuracy, fixation duration, fixation count and saccade amplitude. The results showed that the best icon sizes were 80 and 70 min. The 21 in. screen dimension was chosen as the superior screen for search tasks. The TND map background with less clutters produced higher accuracy compared to that of TD background with clutter. The results of this research can be used in control room design to promote operators’ visual search performance.