Abstract:
Metaphor graphics are data displays designed to look like corresponding variables
in the real world, but in a non-literal sense of “look like”. Evaluation of the impact
of these graphics on human problem solving has twice been carried out, but with conflicting
results. The present experiment attempted to clarify the discrepancies between these
findings by using a complex task in which expert subjects interpreted respiratory
data. The metaphor graphic display led to interpretations twice as fast as a tabular
(flowsheet) format, suggesting that conflict between earlier studies is due either
to differences in training or to differences in goodness of metaphor, Findings to
date indicate that metaphor graphics work with complex as well as simple data sets,
pattern detection as well as single number reporting tasks, and with expert as well
as novice subjects.
Keywords
Computer Graphics - Data Display - Medical Monitoring - Icons
