Effects of screen type, ambient illumination, and color combination on VDT visual performance and subjective preference

This study investigated the effects of screen type, ambient illumination, and target/background color combination on visual identification performance and subjective preference for visual display terminal (VDT) screen characteristics. Screen type significantly affected visual performance. Subjects performed better with the thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) than with the cathode ray tube (CRT). Visual performance was better under 450 lx ambient illumination, versus, 200 lx. Color combination also significantly affected visual performance, with blue letters on a yellow background resulting in the best performance and purple-on-red the worst. Subjective preference was significantly affected by color combination. Blue-on-yellow resulted in the greatest subjective preference, while purple-on-red the worst. Thus, subjective preference and visual performance for color combinations were related. In summary, the TFT-LCD screen seemed to be the preferred technology for identifying letters on VDTs. Relevance to industry The VDT is the primary medium through which humans and computers interact. Screen type, ambient illumination, and color combination are factors that affect VDT performance. The application of the results from this study may not only improve VDT performance, but also enhance worker satisfaction by taking into account workers’ preference for VDT screen characteristics.