A preliminary investigation of the time tunnels display design technique

Abstract

Two forms of decision support were evaluated using a simulated process control task environment. The time tunnel display design concept provides temporal (historical) information about the value of variables and relationships over time using perspective geometry and the depth plane. The compensated level variable is a quickened display that provides estimates of system state that is not confounded by counter-intuitive and time-delayed thermodynamic effects. These two forms of decision support were applied factorially (present, absent) to produce four experimental conditions. The results for system control and fault detection tasks indicate that display quickening improved performance significantly while the time tunnel displays did not. The results for data extraction tasks (reporting the values of system variables) were dependent upon the quality of the mapping between properties in the domain and visual features in the display. Methodological factors that may have influenced the results are considered and subsequent evaluations of the time tunnels design technique, using alternative methodologies, are discussed. It is concluded that the time tunnels display design concept has potential as a form of decision support and is worthy of additional research efforts.