näyttökuorman

Näyttökuorma, or display load, is a term used in Finnish human–machine interaction to describe the visual and cognitive burden that information presented on a display imposes on a user. It encompasses the number of visible elements, their density, motion, color usage, update frequency, and the required user interactions. The concept is particularly relevant in automotive displays, control rooms, medical devices, and consumer electronics, where rapid and accurate perception is essential.

A high näytökuorma can impair performance and safety by reducing situation awareness, slowing task execution, and increasing fatigue or error rates, especially under time pressure or multitasking. It interacts with user factors such as expertise and fatigue, and with system factors such as layout, labeling, and feedback.

Assessment of näytökuorma relies on cognitive-load methods such as NASA-TLX, subjective rating scales, task-performance metrics, and objective measures like eye-tracking and pupil dilation. In practice, teams aim to balance information richness with legibility and prioritization.

Mitigation strategies include progressive disclosure of information, a clear visual hierarchy, consistent layout, legible typography, accessible color contrast, minimizing unnecessary motion, and giving users control over which parameters are shown. In safety-critical domains, design reviews and user testing focused on workload are standard.

The term is used mainly in Finnish-language discussions of human–machine interaction, UI design, and traffic and industrial interfaces. It overlaps with broader concepts such as cognitive load (kognitiivinen kuorma) and visual load (visuaalinen kuormitus).