Altering the colors displayed impacts applied task efficacy when laser eye protection is required

Visual displays are being developed with color capability for defence use, and laser eye protection (LEP) is being adopted in applied contexts. This study investigates whether a customized color palette with a decreased number of colors impacts performance in applied tasks relative to current standard colors. Participants completed a driving simulation while identifying colored symbology. There were two color conditions: standard palette (seven colors) versus custom palette (five colors). Results show color confusions in the standard condition, primarily between cyan and green. An improvement in symbol color identification is seen in the five-color custom palette which decreases confusion, with 94.80% overall accuracy in the customized condition, compared to 88.17% in the standard condition. This study demonstrates that the colors used for symbology when LEP is to be integrated should be carefully considered as this can affect the performance.