The Double-Edged Effects of Monitoring Systems on Human Performance and User Experience in Safety-Critical Diagnostic and Operational Tasks

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effects of different monitoring systems on human performance and user experience in safety-critical diagnostic and operational tasks, and examine how these effects are moderated by task-related and human-related factors.BackgroundMonitoring systems are increasingly adopted in safety-critical domains to enhance performance and safety. However, these systems may present both benefits and potential drawbacks, and comprehensive understanding of their multifaceted effects remains limited.Method32 participants performed diagnostic and operational tasks using a nuclear power plant simulator. A mixed experimental design examined three independent variables: monitoring system (human monitoring, camera monitoring, no monitoring as a baseline), task type (accident, non-accident), and participant group (nuclear-based, engineering/science-based). Dependent variables included human performance metrics (accuracy, task completion time) and user experience (stress, workload, privacy concerns, trust, and technology acceptance).ResultsHuman monitoring was associated with significantly higher accuracy compared to no monitoring, but also increased stress and workload. Camera monitoring generally exhibited intermediate values between no monitoring and human monitoring, while eliciting the highest privacy concerns among all conditions. Significant interaction effects emerged between monitoring systems, participant groups, and task types on stress, trust, and technology acceptance.ConclusionMonitoring conditions exhibited double-edged effects: enhancing human performance while simultaneously increasing the perceived burden. These effects were moderated by task characteristics and users' background.ApplicationThese findings can inform the human-centered design of monitoring systems and development of regulatory guidelines in safety-critical domains, emphasizing the need to balance the performance benefits with stress-related human factors issues.