Can’t Touch This: Hammer Time on Touchscreen Task Performance Variability under Simulated Turbulent Flight Conditions

As flight deck touchscreen implementation continues to rise, more research is required to understand how task performance is impacted by turbulence. Previous work found that for basic dragging gestures on a touchscreen, performance and usability declined, and workload increased, with rising levels of turbulence. The current study extended on this work by examining common flight deck tasks using various gestures and input methods. Twenty-six participants completed two tasks (panning and number entry), in different formats, at four levels of turbulent vibration (control, light chop, light turbulence, and moderate turbulence). Performance was assessed objectively (time to completion and additional interactions with the screen), and subjectively (workload, usability, and comfort). Across the tasks, increased turbulence negatively impacted performance, overall workload, and usability. Design recommendations are made for how to best implement pan and number entry tasks on a touchscreen in the flight deck.随着飞行甲板触摸屏（touchscreen）的应用愈发普及，亟需开展更多研究以探明湍流对任务绩效的影响机制。既往研究显示，当在触摸屏上执行基础拖拽手势时，随着湍流强度升高，任务绩效与使用易用性均有所下降，而工作负荷（workload）则随之上升。本研究在此基础上，针对各类手势与输入方式下的典型飞行甲板任务展开了拓展研究。26名受试者完成了平移操作（panning）与数字输入（number entry）两项任务，每项任务均包含不同的操作格式，并在四级湍流振动条件下开展测试：对照条件、轻微震颤、轻度湍流与中度湍流。研究从客观与主观两个维度对绩效进行评估：客观指标包括任务完成时长与屏幕额外交互次数，主观指标则涵盖工作负荷、易用性与使用舒适度。综合所有任务结果来看，湍流强度升高会对任务绩效、整体工作负荷与易用性产生负面影响。本研究最终针对飞行甲板触摸屏上平移操作与数字输入任务的最优实现方案提出了设计建议。