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Abstract

Advanced computer interfaces in the control room provide limited display area, and information is represented in large-scale display networks. Display navigation may generate disorienting effects, require additional resources for window management, and increase memory and data integration requirements. An experiment was conducted using an elementary Safety Parameter Display System for Pressurized Water Reactors to validate fourteen proposed metrics of navigation workload. Participants were asked to monitor one or two parameters, and answer questions after navigating a prescribed distance in the network. Analyses of variance of a modified task load index and subscales (confidence, disorientation, effort) supported the claim that navigation of large-scale display networks can impose additional mental load. Eye-gaze and other objective metrics were not validated, indicating needs for more refined probes and data reduction algorithms.

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Experimental Validation of Navigation Workload Metrics

Abstract

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