display design

display design

Designing Displays: An Introduction
            From a Human Factors (HF) perspective, there are many elements to consider in the design process of displays.   Displays, signs, banners, etc. are a part of our daily lives; and more often than not, are in place to provide information to make our life safer.   Whether the display is in the cockpit or on the side of the home fire extinguisher, information should be communicated clearly and concisely with the user in mind.   Sometimes a display will be for a small population of people sharing several common factors.   Other times, a display must serve the needs of large, diverse populations which may consist of variances in age or languages spoken.   To design the right display for the right application, all of these demographical factors must be taken into consideration.   Next, we must take into consideration the environmental factors involved around the display.   Are we designing for the cockpit of a fighter jet, or a mine shaft?   These would be two very different environments with very different considerations required to produce a good design.
            This paper does not intend to explore all of the factors needed for display design in general.   Rather four specific examples of display requirements in very different environments to be utilized by very different people will be explored.     The displays under evaluation include an inoperative elevator, directions for international passengers at a Korean airport, automobile oil pressure warning, and notification to prepare for ejection from the Space Shuttle Orbiter.
Inoperative Elevator
            The display needed for an inoperative elevator in a thirty-story building may seem simple enough.   When the demographics of those who normally use the elevator and the environment are taken into consideration, questions arise.   There are a wide range of people who need to easily understand that the elevator is out of service.   We need to accommodate those who are young,...