Frame Relay - for Faster and More Efficient Data Communications ...

24Fig. 5Advanced Human Factors design - J AS cockpitThe cockpit ot JAS 39 is designed to provide thepilot with maximum support during flying, navigationand tactical applications. Displayed informationis either presented automatically or canbe selected by the pilot.The display in the centre is an electronic mapproviding navigational information. Human Factorsspecified the quantity of information presentedand designed and tested symbols. Simplicityis the key. All information must be easilyunderstood under the most difficult conditionspossiblemay be retained, while the redesign effortfocuses on solutions to problems that usershave identified as being the most serious.StandardisationCurrent standardisation activities in thearea of Human Factors are directed mainlytowards the user interface and software.A number of relatively similar de-factostandards for information display (CUA,OPEN LOOK, Motif, Apple) are used bymanufacturers when they design their applications.This illustrates the difficulties inestablishing a uniform standard duringrapid technical developments. A user interfacestandard must be verified in a widerange of applications before it can begenerally accepted. During this time, furtherdevelopments occur and the conditionschange. No quick breakthrough resultingin one particular standard dominatingover the others is therefore expected.In the telecommunications area, where thelarge network operators have a significantinfluence in the standardisation bodies,standards for completely new services arebeing worked out. The European TelecommunicationsStandards Institute (ETSI)has twelve committees, one of which dealswith Human Factors. Issues dealt with concernusability in telecommunications, suchas Universal Personal Telephony (UPT)and video telephony. The procedures,symbols and icons used in these applicationsare studied. Other issues concerntelecommunications for people with specialneeds, including the handicapped; theobjective being to ascertain that publictelephone services are available to thesegroups. ETSI also produces manuals,handbooks and check-lists for the designof services and products.Current Human FactorsprojectsTelecom servicesThe total number of telecom services is expandingrapidly and each user is going tobe confronted with many more servicesthan today. Services are going to be broadin nature and not, as today, mainly oftelephony character. Thus, the demand forsimple, intuitive and reliable use of serviceswill become more and more important.There must be a significant degree ofuniformity between closely related services,and a clear and consistent differencebetween different groups of services sothat users understand the distinctions. Toachieve this is no easy task, especiallywhen cultural variations in the interpretationof concepts and use of telephony mustbe considered.Human Factors is intensively engaged indesigning new services for public, privateand mobile telephony. Examplesof currentactivities are- Development of system-independentmethods of specifying and describingservices based on user perspectives ofthe services. (The design of services incurrent networks is determined by theway in which the telecom system is constructed)- Studies of the use of current serviceswith detailed analysis of motivation andjustification for each service- Evaluation of prototypes of new serviceswithin different user groups- Test and evaluation of symbols andicons for services.Presentation of information inadvanced vehiclesOne of the most stressful workplacesimaginable is the cockpit of a modernfighter aircraft. Pilots must interpret situationsquickly and accurately and act accordingly.They are often exposed to acombination of mental and physical stress,typically g-forces. To support the decisionmakingprocess, the pilot receives information- from several different sources -which is continuously adapted and combinedin a suitable way before being presented.The visual display unit is the mostefficient and suitable means of presentingthis information.Ericsson has designed the informationsystem for the Swedish Airforce's newfighter, JAS 39 Gripen (Fig. 5). The cockpitof JAS has been the subject of HumanFactors effort in four major areas: presentationof information, design of controls,workstation design and environmental adaptation.The pilots' physical characteristics,capabilities and limitations have beenanalysed in detail, as have the type andamount of information they need. Testswith mock-ups and various forms of prototypeshave been used to increase knowledge.The establishment of the final designof the cockpit, with informationsystems and controls, has been based onERICSSON REVIEW No. 1-2, 1992