Evaluation of human factors in interface design in main control rooms

Hwang, Sheue‐Ling; Liang, Sheau-Farn Max; Liu, Tzu-Yi Yeh; Yang, Yi-Jhen; Chen, Po-Yi; Chuang, Chia-Chin

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2009.09.006

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…A thorough review of available literature on HFs was performed, and this review was mainly focused on cars [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29], planes [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42], and NPP operators [43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. The process started with drawing out all possible HFs and listing them up to avoid redundancy and duplicity of information.…”

Section: Human Factors (Hfs) In Control Take-oversmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Few Critical Human Factors for Developing Sustainable Autonomous Driving Technology

Cárdenas¹,

Shin

Kim

2020

Sustainability

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The purpose of this study is to develop a framework that can identify critical human factors (HFs) that can generate human errors and, consequently, accidents in autonomous driving level 3 situations. Although much emphasis has been placed on developing hardware and software components for self-driving cars, interactions between a human driver and an autonomous car have not been examined. Because user acceptance and trust are substantial for the further and sustainable development of autonomous driving technology, considering factors that will influence user satisfaction is crucial. As autonomous driving is a new field of research, the literature review in other established fields was performed to draw out these probable HFs. Herein, interrelationship matrices were deployed to identify critical HFs and analyze the associations between these HFs and their impact on performance. Age, focus, multitasking capabilities, intelligence, and learning speed are selected as the most critical HFs in autonomous driving technology. Considering these factors in designing interactions between drivers and automated driving systems will enhance users' acceptance of the technology and its sustainability by securing good usability and user experiences.

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Section: Human Factors (Hfs) In Control Take-oversmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Few Critical Human Factors for Developing Sustainable Autonomous Driving Technology

Cárdenas¹,

Shin

Kim

2020

Sustainability

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“…With advances in technology, other input methods such as mouse, keyboard, and touch screen were added to the functionality of MFDs. MFDs have been used in a variety of industries including supervisory nuclear process control in the form of visual display units (VDU) (Hwang et al, 2009), but the aviation industry has been the primary realm for MFD development and implementation.…”

Section: Multifunction Displaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying Human Factors Evaluation and Design Guidance to a Nuclear Power Plant Digital Control System

Ulrich¹,

Boring²,

Phoenix³

et al. 2012

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The United States (U.S.) nuclear industry, like similar process control industries, has moved toward upgrading its control rooms. The upgraded control rooms typically feature digital control system (DCS) displays embedded in the panels. These displays gather information from the system and represent that information on a single display surface. In this manner, the DCS combines many previously separate analog indicators and controls into a single digital display, whereby the operators can toggle between multiple windows to monitor and control different aspects of the plant. The design of the DCS depends on the function of the system it monitors, but revolves around presenting the information most germane to an operator at any point in time. DCSs require a carefully designed human system interface. This report centers on redesigning existing DCS displays for an example chemical volume control system (CVCS) at a U.S. nuclear power plant.The crucial nature of the CVCS, which controls coolant levels and boration in the primary system, requires a thorough human factors evaluation of its supporting DCS. The initial digital controls being developed for the DCSs tend to directly mimic the former analog controls. There are, however, unique operator interactions with a digital vs. analog interface, and the differences have not always been carefully factored in the translation of an analog interface to a replacement DCS.To ensure safety, efficiency, and usability of the emerging DCSs, a human factors usability evaluation was conducted on a CVCS DCS currently being used and refined at an existing U.S. nuclear power plant. Subject matter experts from process control engineering, software development, and human factors evaluated the DCS displays to document potential usability issues and propose design recommendations. The evaluation yielded 167 potential usability issues with the DCS. These issues should not be considered operator performance problems but rather opportunities identified by experts to improve upon the design of the DCS. A set of nine design recommendations was developed to address these potential issues. The design principles addressed the following areas: (1) color, (2) pop-up window structure, (3) navigation, (4) alarms, (5) process control diagram, (6) gestalt grouping, (7) typography, (8) terminology, and (9) data entry. Visuals illustrating the improved DCS displays accompany the design recommendations. These nine design principles serve as the starting point to a planned general DCS style guide that can be used across the U.S. nuclear industry to aid in the future design of effective DCS interfaces.ii iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis research was made possible through the generous availability of digital control system screens and tutorials by staff at a participating nuclear power plant. We would like to acknowledge their support of this effort and their willingness to share the results of our human factors review with a broader nuclear audience. We also thank members of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Pr...

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“…As CBPs have been widely used in advanced NPPs, the issues of interface design and human-computer interaction M.-C. Hsieh et al become increasingly important research topics. A welldesigned human-computer interface can enhance human performance and decrease the probability of human error [8][9][10][11][12][13]. Logically, a good human-computer interface design can assist operators to understand system states with higher accuracy and agility [14,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An optimal range of information quantity on computer-based procedure interface design in the advanced main control room

Hsieh

Chiu²,

Hwang³

2014

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology

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The quantification of information in the interface design is a critical issue. Too much information on an interface can confuse a user while executing a task, and too little information may result in poor user performance. This study focused on the quantification of visible information on computer-based procedures (CBPs). Levels of information quantity and task complexity were considered in this experiment. Simulated CBPs were developed to consist of three levels: high (at least 10 events, i.e. 3.32 bits), medium (4-8 events, i.e. 2-3 bits), and low information quantity (1 or 2 events, i.e. 0 or 1 bits). Task complexity comprised two levels: complex tasks and simple tasks. The dependent variables include operation time, secondary task performance, and mental workload. Results suggested that medium information quantity of five to eight events has a remarkable advantage in supporting operator performance under both simple and complex tasks. This research not only suggested the appropriate range of information quantity on the CBP interface, but also complemented certain deficient results of previous CBP interface design studies. Additionally, based on results obtained by this study, the quantification of information on the CBP interface should be considered to ensure safe operation of nuclear power plants.

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Evaluation of human factors in interface design in main control rooms

Cited by 16 publications

References 12 publications

A Few Critical Human Factors for Developing Sustainable Autonomous Driving Technology

A Few Critical Human Factors for Developing Sustainable Autonomous Driving Technology

Applying Human Factors Evaluation and Design Guidance to a Nuclear Power Plant Digital Control System

An optimal range of information quantity on computer-based procedure interface design in the advanced main control room

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