Optimum speed of visual inspection using a systematic search strategy

In an earlier paper, the authors presented models of human functioning in visual inspection and derived optimal working speeds to balance the cost of time and the cost of errors. Both self-paced and externally paced models assumed a random search strategy. It was noted that choosing a standard speed for visual inspection is difficult with standard work measurement techniques and that the data required for the suggested search model are easily measurable. The purpose of this paper is to complement the earlier work by deriving similar models employing a systematic search strategy. The two models can be considered as bounds on actual performance; thus the current paper complements the previous one by establishing an upper bound rather than a lower bound on performance in search tasks. Comparisons between the two strategies are presented.