The influence of graphics-based decision support systems and user cognitive skills on decision quality

This research presents a model developed to determine whether the decision maker cognitive abilities of creativity and reasoning ability interact with a computer system's representation mode in affecting decision quality. The work was designed to see if the problem understanding and solution performance of engineering managers can be improved with the use of different information displays. A graphics-based spreadsheet was used in a series of laboratory experiments in which engineering management students were asked to access background information in the computer system for a production scheduling problem and to use the capabilities of the spreadsheet software to develop a production schedule.; Significant interactions with the representation mode were found for both creativity and reasoning ability. High creativity and low reasoning ability subjects were found to benefit from a graphics capability, while low creativity and high reasoning ability subjects were found to perform better without graphics. No main effect significance was determined for graphics alone. These results support the current trend in spreadsheet software toward versatility and powerful graphics capabilities.