Abstract
Advanced displays for military and other user-interaction intensive systems need objective measures of merit for analyzing the information transfer from the displays to the user. A usable objective metric for display interface designers needs to be succinct, modular and scaleable. The authors have combined the concepts of weighted Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and multidimensional correlation to calculate a novel index of display complexity. Preliminary data supporting the development of this metric for complex visual, auditory and mixed auditory and visual displays will be presented. Analysis of the human subject data indicates the coefficients for the algorithm are easily determined. Furthermore, the metric can predict reaction-times and accuracy rates for complex displays. This combination of semi-automated reduction of display information and calculation of a single complexity index makes this algorithm a potentially convenient tool for designers of complex display interfaces.
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