HomeHuman factors issues as they apply to aviation cockpit displays
John Uhlarik, PhD
Uhlarik and three graduate students conducted a number of research projects related to human factors issues as they apply to aviation cockpit displays. One of the projects was an empirical part- tasks investigation of the use of color-coded warnings. With the advent of color graphics the use of the color red is proliferating in visual displays for coding informatino for the purposes other than warnings that require immediate action for situations critical to flight safety. The study demonstrated that as the use of red increases, its saliency as a warning signal decreases.
Another line of research was to develop behavioral measures to evaluate usability of avionic systems. Drawing on the area of human-computer interaction a hybrid method was developed to allow both system designers and certification specialists acquire information necessary to avoid human factors bottlenecks in advanced avionic subsystems.