Development of a quantitative measurement on visual clutter in see through display

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Ergonomics
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Transmission displays in cockpits present challenges due to information overload within limited space.
• Display clutter can negatively impact operational performance and pilot visual search efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a quantitative measurement for declutter design and appraisal of see-through cockpit displays.
• To investigate the impact of display clutter on pilot visual search performance.

Main Methods:

• Simulated flight tasks were conducted using interfaces with varying pixel scales and clutter degrees.
• Eye-tracking technology recorded pilot visual search paths in response to different flight scene complexities.
• Visual search performance data from 60 pilots were analyzed to identify clutter effects.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in visual search performance were observed across different pixel scales and flight scene complexities (P < 0.05).
• Pilot visual search performance declined as clutter degree increased beyond a certain threshold.
• A recommended upper pixel number limit of 18,576 (3.87% pixel ratio) for a 600*800 display was determined.

Conclusions:

• A quantitative measurement for decluttering cockpit displays was successfully developed.
• The developed measurement can guide the design and appraisal of see-through display interfaces.
• This research supports improved operational safety and efficiency in aviation through optimized display design.