I tried finding some data/research on how long it takes a typical user to find and click on an object located in a list but didn't stumble upon anything useful. The specific context I am dealing with uses the following scenario:
- User is waiting for a particular visual event to occur
- Once the event occurs, the user must find the object in the list...
- ... and click on it
Based on Wikipedia, the average human reaction time to visual stimulus is approximately 190 milliseconds so the transition from Step 1 to Step 2 should take roughly that amount of time.
There is potentially a Step 1b where the user needs to process new information in order to determine which object is the correct object to find and click but I am not interested in dealing with that complication yet.
This question is focused on the time it takes for Steps 2 and 3 combined.
As a trivial example, here is a JSFiddle output of a list with buttons. Once the event occurs they must find a particular object (say, Kajigger) and click on the appropriate button.