The Effect of Task:Interface Concordance on Vehicle Control Performance

PAUL A. BECKMAN, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California

Technological advances have increased the processing power and complexity of almost all computer-based systems with which we have contact. Too often, however, the interfaces to those systems are constructed based on budgetary rather than utility considerations. Research in other areas of human-system interaction suggests the importance of examining the similarities and dis-similarities between tasks and the interfaces used to complete them. Specifically, the theory of Cognitive Fit suggests that human problem-solvers will perform better when the data and data displays they use to complete some task match some characteristic of the task.

An experiment was performed that extends the theory of Cognitive Fit to the realm of human performance in a virtual reality environment. In the experiment discussed herein, subjects completed several virtual vehicle control tasks that consisted of rotational and translational control components. The tasks were performed with user interfaces that either combined or separated rotational and translational control. The tasks were of two types: control of either rotation or translation changes but not both concurrently, or simultaneous control of combined rotation and translation changes. The results of the experiment indicate that task performance was better when the characteristics of the interface matched the characteristics of the task.