What Do We See First? Proximity-Compatible Dashboard Layout Improves Visual Search Efficiency

Abstract

Various governmental agencies use online dashboards to share important environmental information with the public. Yet many dashboards fail to support intuitive public user web-based interaction, imposing high visual search and integration demands on non-expert users. These demands are especially consequential when dashboards communicate environmental risks, such as water quality issues. To address these design concerns, we compared a preexisting state-agency map dashboard with a redesigned version based on the Proximity Compatibility Principle (PCP), which recommends placing related information close together. Twenty-six participants were instructed to find a specific water system while their time and eye movements were recorded. The PCP-aligned dashboard produced substantially faster completion times (Hedges’ g  = 0.87) and faster orienting times ( g  = 0.81), with qualitative reports indicating lower confusion and perceived workload. These findings suggest that spatially grouping search, results, and system information can improve early attention allocation and overall task efficiency.