Supervised automatic interpretation of technical documents: when interruption is a time saver.

The present study examined human-computer interactions in which the operator has to detect errors made by software designed to automatically recognize technical documents. The goal was to assess the effect of user-initiated interruptions of the recognition process to correct these errors. Participants were asked to check the interpretations, either with or without the possibility of interrupting the process. Results showed that interruptions can improve efficiency by decreasing task duration, especially in the post-recognition verification phase. Interruptions provide an opportunity to correct errors during rather than after the recognition process, which is easier because it requires fewer cognitive resources.