Research conducted by QUT utilized eye-tracking technology to analyze the performance of airport security screeners during various visual inspection phases of their screening tasks.
Dr. Levi Swann, a Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design at QUT, along with Emeritus/Adjunct Professor Vesna Popovic from the School of Electrical Engineering & Robotics and former QUT researcher Dr. Dedy Wiredja collaborated to investigate the problem-solving techniques employed by airport security screeners during x-ray screening and how these strategies evolve with experience.
The research involved four groups of screeners with different levels of expertise: beginners, inexperienced, experienced, and experts.
Dr. Swann noted that this study stood out from most airport security screening research as it was conducted in real, everyday task conditions.
“The conventional approach is to conduct research in controlled settings,” explained Dr. Swann.
“Thirty-nine professional security screeners were observed conducting x-ray screening at an Australian international airport while on duty.”
“Video recordings and eye-tracking data were gathered and analyzed to examine activity phases and problem-solving strategies.”
“Conducting research in the field like this allowed us to capture the full complexity of the task and highlight problem-solving as a crucial aspect of a security screener’s role.”
“Screeners utilize interface functions that alter image appearances and collaborate with colleagues to assist in making decisions, such as identifying potential threats.”
Dr. Swann pointed out that previous research in controlled environments focused mainly on visual image scanning and decision-making without considering environmental factors.
“Our findings indicate that the level of problem-solving during security screening varies among screeners based on their experience,” said Dr. Swann.
“Less experienced screeners tend to apply more problem-solving techniques to reach decisions, while more experienced screeners can make decisions without extensive problem-solving.”
“We also noticed that screeners’ problem-solving strategies evolve with experience.”
“Inexperienced screeners tend to defer decision-making to others or rely on a slow and inefficient search-based strategy, which increases cognitive load unnecessarily,” Dr. Swann added.
Professor Popovic shared that their results suggested it takes approximately six months for novice screeners to reach a problem-solving level comparable to experienced screeners.
“This learning period is substantial for a critical safety task,” Professor Popovic emphasized.
“Our research also indicates that problem-solving skills take longer to develop compared to other aspects of task performance, such as image scanning.”
Highlighting the critical nature of effective training in this task, Dr. Swann stressed the importance of rapid skill development due to the high staff turnover associated with this role.
Professor Popovic mentioned that the research outcomes could be applied to other visual inspection tasks in diverse fields such as medicine, manufacturing, security, maintenance, and transportation.
“Understanding problem-solving in these contexts can lead to enhanced visual inspection standards,” Professor Popovic stated.
“Given the notable performance variation based on experience levels and types, there is a compelling case for defining specific screening criteria rather than relying solely on general experience criteria.”
Dr. Swann pointed out that this study lays the groundwork for future research examining how factors like emotions and stress impact screener performance.
“Tailoring personnel management strategies based on experience levels, followed by targeted selection and training programs, is crucial,” Dr. Swann emphasized.
Professor Popovic concluded that by customizing experiences, airport security screenings could become more consistent and effective, leading to increased safety and passenger satisfaction.
“The insights gained from this study are applicable to other expert training domains requiring visual inspection proficiency, such as port control, traffic management, surgical training, and X-ray examination,” Professor Popovic concluded.
