Do large displays help users perform interactive three-dimensional (3D) tasks? Forty subjects performed three different interactive 3D tasks using standard and large (4-by-3 meter) displays. To maintain a constant visual angle, subjects were located 5.5 meters from the large display. On the two most difficult tasks, subjects with a low visual selective attention ability benefited from the use of a large display. Several issues, however, cast doubt on this result.
Exactly how video game experience was controlled for is unclear. The number of questions used to measure selective visual attention ability is not stated. Characteristics of the distribution of subjects’ ability scores are not provided; making a convenient split around the median might not have been the best way to categorize subjects. In addition, performance data should have been graphed as boxplots to draw attention to any outliers that might have influenced the analysis. Finally, subjects should have been debriefed to triangulate findings or to discover the real reasons for performance gains or deficits. For example, did subjects notice any differences in contrast or luminosity between the displays?
This paper is recommended to those researching interactive 3D environments and alternatives to the standard display.