Effect of Vibration on Visual Display Terminal Work Performance

Abstract

Today electronic visual displays have dramatic use in daily life. Reading these visual displays is subject to their vibration. Using a software-simulation of a vibrated environment, the study investigated the effect of vibration on visual performance and fatigue for several numerical display design characteristics including the font size and the number of digits displayed. Both the frequency and magnitude of vibration had significant effects on the reaction time, accuracy, and visual fatigue. 10 graduate students (23–30 years old; M = 25.6), randomly tested in this experiment, were offered about 25 U.S. dollars for their participation. Numbers in vertical presentation were affected more in vertical vibration than those in horizontal presentation. Analysis showed whenever the display is used in vibration environment, an increased font size may be an effective way to compensate the adverse effect of vibration. The software design of displayed materials must be designed to take the motion effect into consideration to increase the quality of the screen display.

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