Equipment found on ship bridges rarely offer consistent user interface design across the numerous systems that seafarers interact with. It is well documented in human-computer interaction research that consistency is an important aspect for reducing human error and increasing user ability to efficiently use digital systems. Current workplace regulations and design guidance do not provide a clear path towards interface consistency between different maritime vendors and equipment. Because of this, there is a need to develop new and consistent frameworks for the design of modern ship bridges and their systems. We approach such a problem by asking the following question: How can the organization of ship bridge systems enable consistent user interfaces for multivendor ship bridges? To answer this, we present work from an industry-driven project seeking to regulate the relationships between ship bridge (i) integrators and (ii) system vendors. This paper presents a user interface architecture that systematically distinguishes between system integrators and system vendors. This user interface architecture then applies web development processes and methods that, we argue, establish a framework for increased design consistency. Furthermore, this architecture presents a new path for ship bridge user interface development that adapts current state-ofthe-art user interface methodologies to a maritime context. We argue that by implementing the proposed architecture framework the industry can capitalize by saving costs, increasing innovation and improve the quality of ship bridges, thereby optimizing the work environment for seafarers and overall ship safety.
Maritime user interfaces for ships’ bridges are highly dependent on the context in which they are used, and rich maritime context is difficult to recreate in the early stages of user-centered design processes. Operations in Arctic waters where crews are faced with extreme environmental conditions, technology limitations and a lack of accurate navigational information further increase this challenge. There is a lack of research supporting the user-centered design of workplaces for hazardous Arctic operations. To meet this challenge, this paper reports on the process of developing virtual reality-reconstructed operational scenarios to connect stakeholders, end-users, designers, and human factors specialists in a joint process. This paper explores how virtual reality-reconstructed operational scenarios can be used as a tool both for concept development and user testing. Three operational scenarios were developed, implemented in a full mission bridge simulator, recreated in virtual reality (VR), and finally tested on navigators (end-users). Qualitative data were captured throughout the design process and user-testing, resulting in a thematic analysis that identified common themes reflecting the experiences gained throughout this process. In conclusion, we argue that operational scenarios, rendered in immersive media such as VR, may be an important and reusable asset when supporting maritime design processes and in maritime training and education.
The development of new design concepts for ship bridges on modern offshore vessels is a considerable challenge for engineering and design professions. Such ships perform advanced missions in extreme environmental conditions that are very different to those in which most design processes take place. Although site visits can help narrow this gap, such opportunities are limited by both funding and access constraints. We suggest the use of design simulators as tools for conceptual design, mediating collaboration between various disciplines and users. This paper reports on work in progress, in which we analyse and explore possibilities and challenges regarding the use of a simulator for the design of ship bridges, comparing the nature of conceptual design with the current use and capabilities of existing maritime simulators. Through this analysis, we suggest there is potential for combining training simulators with tools and techniques from conceptual design processes in ship bridge design. We also discuss some challenges regarding the effective use of simulators as a design tool.
A vessel convoy is a complex and high-risk operation completed during icebreaking operations in the Arctic. Icebreaker navigators need to continuously communicate with their crew while monitoring information such as speed, heading, and distance between vessels in the convoy. This paper presents an augmented reality user interface concept, which aims to support navigators by improving oversight and safety during convoy operations. The concept demonstrates how augmented reality can help to realize a situated user interface that adapts to user’s physical and operational contexts. The concept was developed through a human-centered design process and tested through a virtual reality simulator in a usability study involving seven mariners. The results suggest that augmented reality has the potential to improve the safety of convoy operations by integrating distributed information with heads-up access to operation-critical information. However, the user interface concept is still novel, and further work is needed to develop the concept and safely integrate augmented reality into maritime operations.
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