Optimizing Multimodal Alarm Design for Attention Allocation in Discrete Monitoring Tasks

Cun, Wenzhe; Fan, Hao; Chu, Jianjie; Kai Chen, Deng · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006131

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Summary

This study investigates the efficacy of uni-, bi-, and tri-modal alarm systems in discrete monitoring tasks, specifically examining how different sensory modalities influence attention allocation and operator performance under varying workload conditions. The research addresses a critical challenge in human-machine systems, such as aviation and nuclear power, where operators must prioritize sudden alarms over routine operations. While multimodal alarms are proposed to enhance performance, their effectiveness remains debated, particularly regarding their impact on attention control modes (ACMs)—the shift between exogenous (stimulus-driven) and endogenous (task-driven) control. The study aims to determine which alarm configurations optimize performance and facilitate appropriate attention shifts across baseline, low, high successive, and high simultaneous workload scenarios. The experimental design involved 22 participants performing a simulated flight take-off task that required sequential routine operations and responses to four types of sudden alarms. A within-participant design tested six alarm modalities: visual (V), auditory (A), visual-auditory (VA), visual-tactile (VT), auditory-tactile (AT), and visual-auditory-tactile (VAT). Workload levels were manipulated by timing alarm occurrences relative to routine tasks, ranging from baseline (no concurrent task) to high simultaneous (alarm coinciding with a critical verification task). Performance metrics included hit rates, errors, misses, and choice response times (CRTs). Subjective measures included perceived workload (NASA-TLX) and user experience (UEQ). Attention control modes were assessed in the high simultaneous condition by determining whether participants prioritized the alarm (endogenous) or the routine task (exogenous). Results indicated that the visual-auditory-tactile (VAT) alarm provided superior overall performance, demonstrating robustness across different workload scenarios. In low workload conditions, where vigilance typically drops, the visual alarm resulted in significantly more misses and longer response times compared to other modalities, while VAT yielded the shortest CRTs. In high simultaneous workload conditions, the visual alarm again produced the longest response times, whereas other modalities performed comparably. Regarding attention control, auditory alarms were significantly more effective than visual alarms in modulating ACMs, facilitating the necessary shift to endogenous control to prioritize alarms. However, adding tactile cues to auditory and visual alarms did not significantly improve ACM modulation beyond the auditory advantage. User experience ratings consistently favored the VAT alarm, while the visual alarm received the lowest scores. The findings suggest that multimodal alarms, particularly the tri-modal VAT configuration, enhance operator performance and reduce response times in discrete monitoring tasks. The study highlights that auditory cues are crucial for modulating attention control modes, helping operators overcome automatic stimulus-response associations to prioritize critical alarms. These results underscore the importance of integrating multiple sensory channels to ensure system safety and effective attention allocation in high-demand environments, providing empirical evidence for optimizing alarm design in complex human-machine systems.

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Topics

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• multimodal feedback
• auditory warnings
• signal detection theory
• haptic feedback
• warning design
• multisensory crossmodal

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• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model