Cueing effects of colour on attention management in multiple-view visualisations: evidence from eye-tracking by using a dual-task paradigm

Multiple-view visualisation leads to additional switching cost on attention management between viewports. In this study, we compare the cueing effect of chromatic and achromatic colours on mitigating viewport switching cost in multiple-view visualisations through the dual-task paradigm. There is a concurrent need for managing attention within and between viewports, and performing a three single-digit mental addition task, which poses challenge for the capacity-limited working memory (WM). Response time and total fixation count support the benefit of chromatic colours in within-viewport attention management. First-pass progressive fixation time reveals that chromatic colours lead to better coherence within the viewport than achromatic colours, and there exist a correction process for attention misguidance in invalid cueing conditions. We employed re-visitation count and duration as direct measures of WM reinstatement. Fewer re-visitation count and shorter duration in the valid chromatic cueing condition indicate that more WM resources were freed up for the primary task, and reduced resources were depleted on overcoming the viewport switching cost. The positive role of valid chromatic colour cues become increasingly evident when more viewports presented simultaneously. The study provides eye movement evidence that chromatic cues can effectively lessen the switching cost on attention management in multiple-view visualisations.