Information Display Speed and Noise in the Design of Computer Terminals

Abstract

The variety of computer terminals is growing rapidly. Research on variables likely to have the greatest effect on operator-terminal interaction is needed to guide terminal design. Effective information on display rates for the most common tasks performed at a terminal (e.g. program debugging, typing) have not been reported in the literature. This paper investigates the variables of terminal types, display speed and display noise since these determine to a large extent the cost of terminals. The results show a strong effect due to display speed with virtually no effect due to display noise and terminal type. Operator response speed for the debugging task increased up to a speed of about 60 CPS with no further advantage gained at higher speeds (up to 240 CPS).