Summary
Color
Choices
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Color
can be used to code information on a display, to group items,
functions, or symbols, or to enable visualization of complex
data presentations. Color assignment to physical attributes
of data, such as tissue density or blood flow in PET or MRI
scans, can enable pattern recognition that would not be possible
in black and white images. Care must be taken, however, in using
color if anticipated users may have color deficiencies. This
can be offset by selecting appropriate colors and using luminance
or other redundant coding methods. |
Pre-Attentive
Processing
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The human visual system pre-processes some visual attributes.
These can be recognized very quickly and standout or "pop-out"
in our perception. These attributes can be used in visual
display design to ensure rapid recognition. Pre-attentive
attributes are based on Gestalt principles and include: color,
size, shape, proximity, continuity, closure, and similarity.
The goal is to enable pre-attentive search and to avoid the
creation of conjunction search and interference effects.
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Text
& Symbols
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It
is critical in display design to know the visual angle, viewing
distance, and the vision characteristics of the anticipated
user population. Calculations can then be made to determine
the proper character and symbol size to use for optimum readability.
Icons and symbols must be selected that are likely to be intuitively
recognized and understood by the user population. Appropriately
designed and/or selected, icons and symbols can increase the
usability and efficiency of use of visual displays. Additional
information on symbols and icons can be found in Department
of Transportation Publication, FHWA-RD-98-164. |
The
next module is on "Non-Visual Displays", the next topic
of this Human Factors awareness course.
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