Evaluating the role of colour in a flight information cockpit display

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Abstract
The role of colour coding in the display of aircraft electronic flight information was evaluated by comparing performance with colour and monochrome forms of display for each of seven different information-processing tasks. Tasks required subjects to classify statements about the displayed information as either true or false. Processes of information search or identification or both were involved, to a degree dependent on the type of statement. Each task was characterized by a particular type of statement. Tasks also differed in the degree to which colour was relevant, and the degree of position uncertainty of relevant information. Colour was always redundant, and colours irrelevant to the task were present. Display complexity was varied systematically. Results showed that the value of colour was not simply dependent on whether the task was search or identification in nature. Colour resulted in faster responses in those tasks for which relevant information was uniquely colour coded, and in fewer errors on almost all tasks. Its effect was also related to display complexity, task difficulty, and the presence of other forms of information coding. It was evident that the design or evaluation of an information display requires detailed data on the ways in which the displayed information is to be used, since this determines the nature of tasks which users will perform and defines the optimum role of colour.

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