Reducing cannon plug connector pin selection time and errors through enhanced data presentation methods

This research investigated the effects of data presentation formats on technician performance when maintenance procedures are presented on a monocular, head-mounted display (HMD). The maintenance task was a continuity check performed by identifying, selecting, and testing pairs of cannon plug connector pins. Two formats were used to present task procedure information to the subject: a format that mimicked the standard technical procedure manual, including the textual and graphical characteristics; a format which provided the same information as the first, while adding visual cues to the graphical portion of the technical information. Two types of cannon plugs were used: 'few-pin' plugs (12 and 13 pins) and 'many-pin' plugs (55 and 79 pins). United States Air Force (USAF) avionics maintenance technicians stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana served as subjects. Dependent measures were: task completion time, task error rate, and subjective reports on the usability of the information presentation structure and the HMD. Results indicate that in general, technicians perform tasks more quickly and commit fewer errors when using enhanced graphical data presentation methods. Technicians indicated via post test questionnaire that such data formats, and HMDs in general, could be a useful tool in the performance of their maintenance duties.