The influence of information presentation formats on complex task decision-making performance

• Published in: International journal of human-computer studies 2006-11, Vol.64 (11), p.1115-1131
• Main Author: Speier, Cheri
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Complex task; Computer applications; Computer science; control theory; systems; Computer systems and distributed systems. User interface; Decision making; Decision support systems; Exact sciences and technology; Expert systems; Human-computer interaction; Information presentation; Software; User interface
• ISSN: 1071-5819; 1095-9300
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2006.06.007

Understanding the influence of information presentation formats on decision-making effectiveness is an important component of human–computer interaction user interface design. The pervasive nature and ease of use associated with information display formats in widely used personal productivity software suggests that decision-makers are likely to create and/or use documents with both text-based and more visually oriented information displays. Past research has investigated the role of these displays on simple decision tasks; however, empirical research has not extended to more complex tasks, more comparable to the types of tasks decision-makers face every day. Results from the empirical analysis suggest that the relationship between information presentation format and decision performance is moderated by the complexity of the task. More specifically, spatial formats result in superior decision accuracy for simple- and complex-spatial tasks and faster decision time for all tasks except the complex-symbolic task where graphs and tables result in equivalent decision time.