Display and

Control
Design
The 13 Principles of Display Design
 1. Make Display Legible/Audible
The contrast to the display, the visual angle (location),
illumination, noise, masking, etc. the salience of the
display should be clearly visible by drivers.

2.Avoid Absolute Judgment Limits

Instead of showing gradually changing colors, it is
better to show discrete changing of colors, e.g. divided
into 5 distinct levels, so it’s easily distinguishable.
 3. Top-Down Processing
People perceive & interpret signal according to what they
expect on the basis of their past experience, e.g. if a series of
buttons have “pressed=on”, then the last button can’t be
“pressed=off”.

4. Redundancy Gain
A very good example is the traffic light, as the 3 states of
information are coded into both position (top middle
bottom) and colors (red amber green).
 5. Discriminability. Similarity Cause Confusion
Using texts in displaying information while driving may run
into this problem. E.g. “there’s a traffic 3125 meters ahead”
and “there’s a traffic 2125 meters ahead” are too similar.

6. Principle of Pictorial Realism

A good example is showing high and low speed on a vertical
scale instead of horizontal scale, because top to bottom is
more easily understood as high to low, compared to right to
left.
 7. Principle of Moving Part
A good example is showing up more lines order to indicate more
distance more distance to the car ahead and less lines to indicate less
distance, instead of the other way around.

8. Minimizing Information Access Cost

A driver should not spend too much time for finding the correct
information source. For example, if the color changes of a display is
the most important source of information, then it should be the most
salient. Another example of making the lowest access cost is to have
the display area quite small so that user doesn’t have to find display
elements in a too wide area.
 9. Proximity Compatibility Principle
This is something to do with mental model. For example, similarly functioning
buttons are supposed to be closer together than other buttons, or maybe more
similar colors or patterns. This principle can complete the principle 8 above of
having close proximity or smaller area of searching for a display element.

10. Principle of Multiple Resources

This is something to do with multimodality. Two information sources visually
and auditory can more easily be perceived than using both visual channels. For
example, a navigation map showing a city name and speech saying “you are
500 meters from your destination” are easily perceived compared to putting
the “500 meters from your destination” as a text over the map.
 11. Replace Memory with Visual Information: Knowledge in the World
This can be called the principle of ecological display. Showing something that
directly resembles what’s happening on the real world. The more similar to the
real world, the more information it is and user can more easily decode the
information.

12. Principle of Predictive Aiding

Predictive display would pro-actively showing something to users about
possible future happening, instead of reactively respond to user’s actions. This
is especially important during driving, as it’s time critical. For example, a
navigation system can show a segmented or dotted line showing the direction
of the car towards a place where a road disturbance is happening. This way,
the driver can quickly understand and try to change the path to other roads.
 13. Principle of Consistency
This is somehow related to long-term memory
information. Previous knowledge of a certain way
of information display would be used again when
users meet another information display of the
same signal. Using a commonly known display
elements/symbol in order to convey different
information, simply would not work.
Design of Controls: 4 factors
Design of Control: Factor #1. Control Display Ratio (C/D
Ratio):

The CD ratio is defined as the ratio between the

movement of control device and the moving element
of the display showing or representing the control
movement. It should be obvious that this relationship
shall be of considerable importance to the operator
operating the control.
Design of Control: Factor #2. Directional Relation
in Control and Display:

There should be correct relationship between the

direction of movement if control and that of the
moving element of the display. If the control
moves clockwise the pointer should also move
clockwise. The reverse movement may confuse
the operator.
Design of Control: Factor #3. Control
Resistance:

The force offered by the control to the

intended movement is known as control
resistance; it is offered by the control and
keeps a relation with the resistance offered by
controls.
Some are negligible in terms of physical forces where
as other are significant. The main types are as follows:

1. Inertia force

2. Static and Dynamic Friction

3. Elastic or Spring Force

4. Viscous Damping Force

Design of Controls: Factor #4. Operational Coding of
Controls:

Coding means the technique of conveying information

quickly may be through colors numbers or letters etc.
controls are required to be coded in order to identify
them so as to reduce the overall operational time.
Effective methods of control coding are to
regulate/control their size, shape, method of operation,
position color and labels.
The following rules in this regard should be followed:

1. Shape Coding:
It should have some relationship with the intended purpose
of control. It acts as a visual display as well as a
communication input. Many shapes have been standardized
for control coding in many industries and government bodies.

2. Size Coding
It is not as effective as shape coding but may serve the
purpose in many cases specifically industries.
 3. Position Coding
It is helpful in habit forming. Example is why electric
bulbs switches are normally fitted near doors or at
other convenient places at shoulder height.

4. Method of Operation Coding:

This rule is concerned with the control should be
design in such a manner that is a would not be
operated in a wrong direction.
 5. Color Coding:
It is a visual coding method and is very effective which can be
combined with other coding techniques such as shape size
and level etc.

6.Labelling:
It is also an effective coding method for controls. A good level
should be precise, complete short and standard in case of
notational and should be placed on or very close to control.
But all this can be done if putting up the level and lighting as a
visual aid is available.