The Effectiveness Of Graphic And Tabular Presentation Under Time Pressure And Task Complexity

Time pressure affects decision making and, therefore, should be considered in the design of decision support systems. Although long recognized as an important variable, time pressure has received little attention from information systems researchers. This research empirically tested the effects of presentation format, time pressure, and task complexity on decision performance. The objective was to determine the effective presentation format (graphics or tables) for the performance of tasks of varying complexities by decision makers under time pressure. Results showed that when time pressure was low, the effectiveness of the two presentation formats depended on the type and complexity of the task. With increasing time pressure graphics generally were found more advantageous. The findings add to the literature by showing the superiority of graphics over tables in supporting decision making under time pressure.