Application of colour combinations on visual search tasks under vibration environments

Abstract

AbstractColour is widely utilised as a visual coding system in visual search, but its application under vibration conditions (e.g., in various vehicles) has not been fully explored. This study was designed to examine the effect of colour combinations on performance of visual search tasks conducted in vibration conditions. Forty-eight university students participated in an experiment where they were required to identify target type and location under 24 colour combinations (half in negative polarity and half in positive polarity) and three vibration conditions (static, low, and high). The findings showed that vibration did not significantly affect performance, perceptions, or physiological aspects. Colour combination significantly affected response time, and the participants preferred colour combinations that had the potential to produce better performance. Colour combinations with negative polarity (e.g., yellow on black and white on black) are recommended for presenting search interfaces. These findings are of importance in human–computer interface designs for information display under vibration conditions.