Interface design and display-control compatibility

The increasing complexity of control room environments requires operators to interact with a wide variety of display signals and control devices. Therefore, the design of displays and controls plays an important part in determining the overall performance of operators. Compatible display-control design facilitates performance and reduces human errors that may occur as a result of a mismatch between the expectations of the operators and the relationships between the displays and controls. Three specific design compatibilities, namely, spatial compatibility, movement compatibility, and conceptual compatibility are introduced and discussed in detail in this paper. It is anticipated that this paper will provide pragmatic recommendations to assist interface designers to improve operational system effectiveness and safety by considering the many aspects of display-control compatibility necessary for effective human-machine interface design.