Effects of visual field, exposure time, and set size on icon search with varied delays using an LCD monitor

This study investigated the effects of visual field (left or right), exposure time, and set size on icon search with varied delay times. Nineteen women and 17 men, who were Taiwanese graduate students aged 24-40 years, participated. Participants were told to search for a target icon in a circular stimulus array, which had a diameter of 7 cm and included five, seven, or nine items. The results indicated that set size significantly affected search time. Search time was significantly longer for a nine-icon set than for five and seven icons. Search times were significantly longer for 5-sec delays than for 3- and 1-sec delays. However, exposure time and visual field did not significantly affect search time. Results showed that set size significantly affected accuracy. The accuracy for the five-icon condition was greater than that for the seven-and nine-icon conditions. Moreover, accuracy was greater for 1- than for 3- and 5-sec-delay conditions. However, no significant effect on accuracy was found for visual field or exposure time. Finally, search times for correct and incorrect responses were analyzed separately. The results are applicable to graphics-based interface design.