Left or right?: spatial arrangement for information presentation on large displays

Paradoxically, recent increases in the physical size and resolution of displays have introduced new challenges for interface design over a wide field of view. Since the visual system processes information very differently depending on whether it is presented in the central or in the peripheral regions of the visual field, the effectiveness of our ability to process information at large visual angles is largely unknown. Whether processing capability varies significantly in the periphery of computer displays is an unsettled question. An answer to this question could guide the development of best practices for the spatial arrangement of information in large displays. In our experiment, we show that information presented in the left visual field is processed faster and more accurately than in the right visual field. This difference suggests that more important information and data requiring immediate attention or rapid processing should preferably be presented in the left visual field. We discuss potential applications of our results using the dashboard interface with two examples: real-time stock market monitoring and the arrangement of gadgets on personalized pages.