Evaluation of MILSTD 2525 glyph features in a visual search paradigm

Abstract

MILSTD 2525 is a document that outlines the composition and use of a set of standardized symbology by the US Department of Defense to represent vehicles, equipment and personnel on tactical interfaces. These symbols are primarily multivariate glyphs that visualize the status of military units. This study selected a subset of commonly used glyph features in order to investigate their relative efficiency in a search paradigm. Performance across the different features as well as within levels of each feature was examined. Stimuli were tested using an oddball search paradigm with set sizes of 6, 12 and 18. The dependent variables of interest were search efficiency, RT, and accuracy. Results show that search asymmetries occur with MILSTD 2525 glyph features and that these features differ in search efficiency from one another. The authors discuss the relative search performance of these features and implications for glyph design.