Displays

Functions of Dynamic Visual

Displays
• Continuous System Control
• steering (vehicle control)
• tracking
• state variable → target value
• System Status Monitoring
• quantitative (state information)
• levels (quantities)
• rates
• qualitative (status)

2
Functions of Dynamic Visual
Displays (2)
• Briefing
• mission plans
• procedures
• Search and Identification
• surveillance
• Decision Making
• alternative identification, selection
• planning
• diagnosis
• extrapolation
3
Visual Display Technology
• Mechanical (often electromechanical)
• fixed/moving pointer, moving/fixed scale
• counters (e.g., odometers)
• flags
• Electronic
• lights (incandescent, nixie tubes)
• light emitting diodes (LEDs)
• liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
• other flatpanel displays
• cathode ray tubes (CRTs)

4
Visual Display Technology (2)
• Optical Projection
• projectors
• front projection
• back projection
• head-up displays (HUDs)
• head mounted displays (HMDs)

5
 Visual Displays
50 1 2 3 4 5 50
40 60
Counter 40
30 70
30

20 80 FUEL 20

10
10 90 OIL
0 0
Annunciators
Circular Analog Linear Analog
 General Display Principles
• Color
• Coding

• Approximation

• Integration

7
 Color
• Advantages
• aesthetic appeal (user-preferred)
• opportunity for color coding
• superior performance (in some cases)

• Disadvantages
• technological limitation, cost
• non-superior performance (in other
cases)

8
 Coding
• Color
• < 9 discriminable colors (absolute
discrimination)
• < ? (relative discrimination)
• Shape
• alphanumeric: < 82
(A-Z, a-z, 0-9, <, (, +, &, …)
• geometric: < 15
• pictorial: < ?

9
 Coding (cont’)
Magnitude < 7 (± 2)
• area
• line length

• number of primitives

• luminance

• stereoscopic depth
• inclination
10
 Approximation
• Definition
• Get attention with one display
• Present detailed info with another

• Example
• Red oil pressure annunciator near LOS
• Oil pressure gauge elsewhere

11
 13 Principles of Display
Design (Wickens, Gordon, & Liu)
• Perceptual Principles
• Mental Model Principles
• Principles Based on Attention
• Memory Principles

12
 Perceptual Principles
1. Avoid absolute judgments
• absolute vs. relative judgment
2. Top-down processing
• people observe what they expect to
observe
3. Redundancy gain
• alternative stimulus attributes
4. Discriminability
• similarity causes confusion
13
 Mental Model Principles
5. Pictorial realism
• looks like what it represents
6. Principle of the moving part
• compatible with user’s mental model of
motion
7. Ecological interface design
• close correspondence with environment
being displayed

14
Principles Based on Attention
8. Minimizing information access costs
• important or frequently accessed info is easy
to access
9. Proximity compatibility principle
• close to what it represents
• close to its control
10. Principle of multiple resources
• auditory vs. visual
• spatial vs. verbal
• (perceptual/cognitive vs. response)

15
 Memory Principles
11. Principle of predictive aiding
• predictive display → proactive user
12. Principle of knowledge in the world
• don’t overburden human memory
13. Principle of consistency
• be consistent

16
Applications
 Two-Valued Info
(Warning and Alert Information)
• Examples
• Low oil pressure indicator (automobile)
• Door open indicator (aircraft)
• Types
• Lights
• Flags
• Technologies
• Electronic
• Mechanical
18
Two-Valued Information (2)
Principles
• Should attract attention of busy / bored
operator.
• Should tell what is wrong.
• Should not prevent continued attention
to other duties.
• Should not be likely to fail.
• Should not give false alarms.

19
 Quantitative Information
(Exact Reading)

• Examples
• Oil pressure (psi)
• Speed (mph)
• Temperature (deg)
• Types
• Counter
• Digital display
• Technologies
• Electronic (LED, LCD, CRT, …)
• Mechanical (drum, disk, …)
20
 Quantitative Information 1
(cont’)
Principles
• Mount close to panel front to minimize
shadows, etc.

• < 2 changes/second

• 1 : 1 height-to-width ratio

• 1/4 - 1/2 width spacing

• high contrast
21
 Quantitative Information
(Approximate to Exact Reading plus
Rate Info)
• Examples
• Altitude (aircraft)
• Speed (auto, aircraft)
• Temperature (chemical reactor)
• Types
• Fixed scale moving pointer
• Fixed pointer moving scale
• Technologies
• mechanical, electromechanical
• electronic (CRT, LCD, …)

22
Fixed Scale Moving Pointer (1)
50
40 60

30 70

20 80

10 90
0 23
Fixed Scale Moving Pointer (2)
50
40 60

30 70

20 80

10 90
0 24
Fixed Pointer Moving Scale (1)

0
10
90
80

20
70

30
60

40
50

25
Fixed Pointer Moving Scale (2)

10 20

30
90

40
80

50
70 60

26
Quantitative Information (2)
Principles
• Scale range
• Interval values

• Scale dimensions

• Scale layout

• Pointers

• Motion
27
 Scale Range
• Select least precise scale that meets
operator’s needs.
• Display in immediately usable form,
e.g.
+ 0% - 110% maximum RPM
rather than
- 0 - 8250 RPM

28
 Scale Intervals
Good progressions
0.1 0.2 0.3 ... (0.1 unit numbered interval)
1 2 3 ... (1 unit)
5 10 15 ... (5 units)
Fair progressions
0.2 0.4 0.6 ... (0.2 unit)
2 4 6 ... (2 units)
Poor progressions
0.25 0.5 0.75 ... (0.25 units)
4 8 16 ... (4 units)
1 3 5 ... (2 units, poor initial point)

29
 Scale Dimensions
major scale marker
0.035 0.030
0.025 intermediate
scale marker
0.22

0.07
0.10 MINIMUM 0.16
SEPARATION minor scale marker

Recommended minimum scale dimensions (in)

for low illumination - 0.03 to 1.0 ft - L
(28-in. viewing distance). 30
 Scale Layout

• Circular
• Numbers increase clockwise
• Zero break
• Zero at bottom (positive scale)
• Zero at 9 o’clock position (positive -
negative scale)
• Numbers inside graduation marks
31
 Circular Display
50
40 60

30 70

20 80

10 90
0 32
Positive/Negative Display

+20

+10

-10

-20 33
 Linear Displays 50

40

30
0 10 20 30 40 50

20

10

0
34
 Linear Displays (2) 50

40

0 10 20 30 40 50 30

20

10

0
35
 Pointers
• To but not over minor scale markings

• As close to surface as possible (parallax)

• Same color as dial markings
• Pointer tip angle ≅ 20 degrees

36
Long-Scale Displays: Multiple
Pointer
0
9 1

8 2

7 3

6 4
5 37
Long-Scale Displays:
Pointer/Counter
0
9 1

8 3 17 8 0 2

7 3

6 4
5 38
 Motion
(Fixed Pointer Moving Scale)
• Scale numbers increase in clockwise
direction
• Compatible control / scale movement

• Clockwise control movement

increases value

• Avoid FPMS displays (inconsistency)

39
 FPMS Anomalies (1)

0 10 10
90 0 20

90
80

20 30

30
80
70

40
70
60
40

50
50 60

40
 FPMS Anomalies (2)

0 90 10 0
10 20

90
20

80 70

30

80
30

40
70
60

40 50 50 60

41
 Check Reading
• Examples
• RPM ok?
• Temperature ok?
• Types
• FSMP
• FPMS
• Technologies
• Mechanical
• Electronic (CRT, LCD, …)

42
Check Reading (2)
50
40 60

30 70

20 80

10 90
0 43
 Check Reading (3)
50 50 50 50

40 40 40 40

30 30 30 30

20 20 20 20

10 10 10 10

0 0 0 0
A B C D
44
 Current Setting Info
(Quantitative)
• Examples
• Frequency selector (radio)
• Channel selector (TV)
• Types
• FSMP
• FPMS (?)
• Technologies
• Mechanical
• Electronic
• Principles
• see “quantitative info principles”
45
 Current Setting Info
(Qualitative)
• Examples
• Function selector (stereo system)
• Line selector (multi-line phone)
• Types
• Two-value displays
• Alphanumeric displays
• Technologies
• Mechanical (e.g. flag, 2-position button)
• Electronic (light, LED, …)
• Principles
• detectability
• discriminability 46
Complex SystemState / Status
Info
• Examples
• Fuel system state (aircraft)
• Switch settings (railroad switch yard)

• Types
• Pictorial

• Technologies
• Electronic

• Principles
• Pictorial realism
• Compatibility with mental model
47
 Pictorial Display
(System Synoptic)

48
 Command Info
• Examples
• Heading to waypoint (aircraft)
• Collision avoidance maneuver
(aircraft)
• Types
• FSMP / FPMS
• Alphanumeric
• Pictorial

49
 Command Info (2)
• Technologies
• Mechanical
• Electronic
• Principles
• Tell operator what to do

50
“Pathway in the Sky” Display

51
 Navigational Info
• Examples
• Horizontal Situation Indicator (HIS) -
(aircraft)
• Map display (car)
• Types
• Pictorial
• Technologies
• Electronic (CRT, LCD)
• Optical projection (projector, HUD)
52
 Navigational Info (2)
• Principles
• North-up for planning
• Track-up (ego-centered) for control
• Safety considerations

53
Horizontal Situation Indicator
(HSI)

54
Automobile Map Display

55
Other Kinds of Displays
 Head-Up Display

HUD image
(at optical infinity) windscreen
combiner

pilot’s
eye
mirror
projector
 Head-Up Display

Source: http://ef2000_www.im.gte.com/efhcphd.html 58
Military Aircraft HUD

59
Head Mounted Display

Kopin Monocular Head Mounted Display

http://www.phoenix.net/~vrgear/kopin.htm 60
Helmet Mounted Display

61
Head Mounted Display

http://www.keo.com/Hmds.html
62
Head Up Display

F-22 Simulator Solid State

http://www.keo.com/F22hud.htm 63
Head Down Display

Head down display

http://www.keo.com/hdd.htm
 Haptic Display

Haptic Display. Exoskeleton

http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/exoskeleton/
 Haptic Display

PHANToM haptic interface

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/1998/phantom.html 66
 Haptic Display

A haptic display based on the Tactile Flow concept

http://www.piaggio.ccii.unipi.it/robotics/robresearch/haptic.html67
 Feedback Displays

Pediatric Intravenous Catheterization Simulator

http://www.immersion.com/pdf/ctsmmdl2.pdf 68
 Feedback Displays

Event For Extended Body And Walking Machine

http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/exoskeleton/ 69
 Displays

Human-Computer Interaction
 Lesson Objectives
• By the end of this lesson you should be
able to:
• Describe the following display principles
• Perceptual operations
• Mental models
• Attention
• Memory
• Describe principles behind alerting
displays, including:
• Warnings
• Cautions
• Advisories
• Describe principles underlying appropriate
labeling 71
 Lesson Objectives
• By the end of this lesson you should
be able to:
• Describe the following display principles
• Pictorial realism
• Moving part
• Redundancy gain
• Discriminability
• Proximity compatability
• Predictive aiding
• Knowledge in the world
• Consistency 72
Design Example

www.baddesigns.com
73
Improved Design Example

www.baddesigns.com
74
 Displays
• Displays are human-made artifacts
designed to support the perception of
relevant system variables, and
faciliate the further processing of that
information.
• Visual
• Graphs
• Speedometer
• Gauges
• Print
• Auditory
• Buzzers 75
• Beeps
 Displays
4

1 3
23.445 98 23.11
4 12 1245
7663 34 12

2
5

76
Displays

23.445 98 23.11
4 12 1245
7663 34 12

77
 Display Variables
• Location
• Color
• Dimensionality
• Motion
• Intensity
• Coding
• Modality
• What to display
78
 Display Principles
• Perceptual operations
• Mental model
• Human attention
• Human memory

79
 Perceptual Principles
• Avoid absolute judgment limits
• Do not require operator to judge the
level of a variable on the basis of a
single sensory variable like color, size,
or loudness, with numerous levels.

IF light is royal blue, THEN all systems are GO

80
 Perceptual Principles
• Top-down processing
• Users perceive and interpret signals in
accordance with what they expect to
perceive on the basis of past experience

Valve 12 is OK Valve 12 is OK
Valve 13 is OK Valve 13 is OK
Valve 14 is OK Valve 14 is OK
Valve 15 is OFF Valve 15 is OFF
Valve 16 is OK Valve 16 is OK 81
 Perceptual Principles
• Redundancy Gain
• Messages expressed multiple times are
more likely to be interpreted correctly.
• Best if multiple messages are in
alternative forms (e.g., visual AND aural
channels).

WARNING WARNING
Color Only Color + Color +
Label Label +
82
Auditory
 Perceptual Principles
• Traffic Light

83
 Perceptual Principles

• Discriminability: Similarity causes

confusion
• Signals that are similar will be confused
• Either at time they are perceived or if
signals must be kept in working memory
• Similarity
J606V45 affected
versus J706V45 by ratio
5 similar, of similar to
1 dissimilar
dissimilar features:
606 versus 706 2 similar, 1 dissimilar

84
 Perceptual Principles

This figure illustrates how This figure illustrates how

the growth of large the growth of large
companies has increased countries has increased
over the last few years. over the last few years.

85
 Perceptual Principles
Companies Countries

This figure illustrates how This figure illustrates how

the growth of large the growth of large
companies has increased countries has increased
over the last few years. over the last few years.

86
 Mental Model Principles
• Principle of Pictorial Realism
• A display should look like the variable
that it represents

100 °

0°
87
 Mental Model Principles
• Principle of the moving part
• Moving elements of any display of
dynamic information should move in a
spatial pattern and direction that is
compatible with the user’s mental model
of how the represented element moves.

500 525
475 500
450 475
400 465
425 450
400 425
375 400 88
Mental Model Principles

• Solution: Invert the numbers on

the moving part of the display?
• Problem! Lower numbers at top,
larger numbers at bottom, violates
principle of pictorial
375 400 realism!
400 425
425 450
430 465
450 475
475 500
500 525
89
 Mental Model Principles
• Ecological Interface Design
• Use principles of pictorial realism and
moving part to create display with close
correspondence with real world system
• Consistent with/create operator mental
Time 1
model Time 2
Reservoir : 340 Reservoir : 330
Holding: 260 Holding: 270
Flow:110 p/m Flow: 0 p/m
Valve: Open Valve: Closed 90
 Mental Model Principles

340 260
110

Valve Open
Reservoir Holding Area

Pictorial Realism 330 270

Moving Part
Redundancy Gain
Valve Closed
Reservoir Holding Area
91
 Attention Principles
• Minimizing information access cost
• There is a mental cost associated with
the time or effort to move selective
attention from one display location to
another to access information
Window B

Window A
33% Window C

33%
33%
92
 Attention Principles
• Minimizing information access cost
• Good designs minimize cost by keeping
frequently accessed information sources
in a prominent place

Window B
5%
Window A
Window C
85% 10%

93
 Attention Principles
• Proximity compatibility principle
• When two or more sources of
information are related, and must be
mentally integrated to complete a task
(through divided attention), then they
should be placed contiguously in space
• “Close mental proximity” requires “close
display proximity”

94
 Attention Principles
• Focused attention
• Allows information sources to be
perceived without distraction from other
information sources
• Divided attention
• Allows parallel processing of two or
more information sources
• Selective attention
• Attention shifts based on salience of
incoming information. 95
 Attention Principles
• Proximity compatibility principle

23.445 4

7663 34
96
 Attention Principles
• Principle of multiple information
resources
• Processing a large amount of
information can be facilitated by dividing
information into multiple channels

Visual

Visual + Audio
97
 Memory Principles
• Principle of predictive aiding
• Predicting future is hard
• Current conditions
• Possible future conditions
• Rules that map (relate) the two
• As a result, human operators become reactive
rather than proactive
• React to events after the fact versus anticipating
events.
• Replace “current status” display with predictive
display
• Allows operators to rely on perceptual versus
cognitive processing 98
 Memory Principles
• Principle of knowledge in the world
• Information prominently displayed
• Recognition versus recall: Visibility
• Knowledge in the head requires relying
on retrieval from long term memory
• Graphical user interface versus
command line

copy c:\doc\word\articles\jan00\hci.doc a:\

99
 Memory Principles
copy c:\doc\word\articles\jan00\hci.doc a:\

100
 Memory Principles
• Principle of consistency
• Display information consistently
• Across multiple
displays/windows/screens.
• Make behavior consistent
• Exit shortcut: Exit versus Exit

101
 Alerting Displays
• System alerts differ by criticality
• Severity of the consequences for
ignoring them
• Warnings
• Most critical
• Use auditory AND visual alert

102
 Alerting Displays
• Cautions
• Same as warning, use both
auditory and visual signal
• Less salient auditory signal
(“softer” sound)

103
 Alerting Displays
• Advisories
• Least critical
• Need not include auditory signal
(only visual)

104
 Labels
• Used to unambiguously identify
elements
• Present “knowledge in the world”

105
 Label Design Principles
• Visibility/legibility
• Contrast sensitivity a concern
• Contrast sufficient so that label can be
read in poorest of conditions

106
 Label Design Principles
• Discriminability
• Operator should be able to clearly
discriminate between labels
• Relates to distinct features

107
 Label Design Principles
• Discriminability
• Tendency to confuse negative and
positive labels
• Problem under degraded sensory
conditions
• Low visibility for visual indicators
• Noisy environments for auditory warnings
• “Wait 5 seconds, then you are ready to
go”
• “…seconds…….you are ready to go”
108
 Labels
• Meaningfulness
• No guarantee that a particular word or
icon triggers the appropriate meaning,
even if it is visible and legible.
• Avoid labels based solely on icons or
abbreviations

109
 Labels
• Meaningfulness

110
 Lesson Summary

• You should be able to:

• Describe the following display principles:
• Perceptual operations
• Mental models
• Attention
• Memory
• Describe principles behind auditory
displays, including:
• Warnings
• Cautions
• Advisories
• Describe principles underlying appropriate
111
labeling
 Lesson Summary
• You should be able to:
• Describe the following display principles:
• Pictorial realism
• Moving part
• Redundancy gain
• Discriminability
• Proximity compatability
• Predictive aiding
• Knowledge in the world
• Consistency
112
 References
• Wickens, C.D., Gordon, S.E., & Liu, Y.
(2000). Introduction to Human Factors
Engineering. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall.
• Bailey, R.W. (1996). Human
Performance Engineering. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
• Wickens, C.D. (1992). Engineering
Psychology and Human Performance.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
113