Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Design of Controls, Displays, and Symbols
6.1
INTRODUCTION
Much research on control and display design has been sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Defense. One purpose was to develop design principles that could be used in
standardizing the design of military equipment. Military Standard 1472F is a standard
that prescribes HFE design (U.S. Department of Defense, 2002). Today, much research is
undertaken by companies to support the design of consumer products and computer
systems. The aim is to improve the design of controls, displays, and symbols. In this
chapter we present the design principles that may be applied to the design of appliances,
cars, equipments, and tools.
We first present principles for the selection of controls, and then examine those that
apply to computer input devices. Several design principles are presented, including
coding of controls, control movement stereotypes, and the control-display relationship.
We then present principles for the design of symbols and labels that are used in controls
and displays.
In a manufacturing plant, operators handle a variety of objects, including controls,
handtools, and parts to be assembled. The design principles derived for controls may be
applied to most things that an operator uses; in fact, they apply to anything that an
operator touches with his hands, such as parts used for assembly work. The coding of
controls principle can also be extended to the coding of parts in manufacturing.
EXAMPLE
While traveling on the X2000 high-speed train between Linköping and Stockholm in
Sweden, I wanted to wash my hands. I went to the toilet and discovered that there were
several control problems.
First, it was difficult to lock the door (see Figure 6.1). I tried to turn the crank but it
did not move. I bent down to look; it turned out that there was a second crank. A small
sign on the door said, “Don't use the top crank—this was for the conductor.” Imagine the
number of complaints before the management put up the sign! But it was so small that it
was difficult to read.
I later looked up X2000 on the Web and found comments from a passenger in
Australia who traveled from Sydney to Melbourne. He claimed, “The toilet has a few
problems: There are two locks on the door, one is labeled in Swedish and one in English.
The English one works.”
The second problem was that I could not find the water tap. There was a blank piece
of metal next to my foot—a foot control! I stepped on it several times, but no water!
From where I was standing I could not see any other controls, so I bent down and found
the tap hidden on top of the water basin Interestingly enough the control was electronic
