A framework for unpacking cognitive benefits of distributed complex visual displays

What are the advantages and disadvantages of spatially stacked (i.e., when information sources are presented side-by-side) versus distributed (i.e., when information sources are sitting on top of one another with only the top source fully visible) organizations of information? We introduce a new theoretical decomposition of these advantages and disadvantages (information internalization, information access, and information externalization costs), along with a new analytic technique for measuring each theoretical aspects using eye tracking. Thirty-eight scientists-in-training solved a complex data interpretation problem using either a distributed or a stacked display. Display format influenced all 3 factors, but in opposing ways: stacked displays increase internalization and externalization costs but decrease information access costs. The framework reveals trade-offs among the 3 factors that can be precisely characterized to guide interface user design and optimization.