Relative Effects of Color-, Texture-, and Density-coding on Visual Search Performance and Subjective Preference

Previously, it had been found that texture-coding was ineffective at reducing search time (Perlman & Swan, 1993). In the experiment reported here, 16 subjects searched for blank-, color-, texture-, and density-coded targets of varying complexity in a naturalistic task. The data showed that all non-blank methods were significantly and about equally more effective at reducing search time than blank-coding (no coding). The difference of outcome with previous results is explained by task simplification and by the control of possibly confounding factors. The difference suggests that coding techniques using texture, and possibly other methods, should be evaluated in context. The similar performance of color-, texture-, and density-coding is explained by the use of equalsaturation and equal-brightness colors. Recommendations for the design of effective coding methods and for future research are discussed.