Human Factors Guidelines and Methodology in the Design of a User Computer Interface: A Case Study

Abstract

h a r d s , W a l t e r E. Gilmore, and Lon N. b n e y , I d a h o N a t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g L a b o r a t o r y EG&G Idaho, I n c . Idaho F a l l s , I D 83415 AB S TKA CT I n t h i s c a s e s t u d y , human f a c t o r s p e r s o n n e l were r e q u e s t e d t o p h e d documents and r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s sponsored by t h e United S t a t e s Nuclear R e g u l a t o r y Commission (USNRC) were used. P r e l i m i n a r y t a s k s i n v o l v e d a review o f t h e d r a f t p l a n t p r o c e d u r e s . Then, i n t e r v i e w s w i t h o p e r a t o r s w e r e conducted t o e s t a b l i s h t h e i n i t i a l i n f o r m a t i o n f o r t h e d i s p l a y s . c r i t e r i a t o d e t e r m i n e t h e o p t i m a l p r e s e n t a t i o n formats. s i d e r t h e User Computer I n t e r f a c e (UCL) i n many of t h e s e s y s t e m s c a n have d e v a s t a t i n g r e s u l t s . An i n a d e q u a t e u s e r i n t e r f a c e a t t h e CRT c o n s o l e , s u c h as e x t e n s i v e s c r e e n c l u t t e r , poor l a y o u t and o r g a n i z a t i o n of p l a n t i n f o r m a t i o n , and c o d i n g , c a n c o n t r i b u t e n o t o n l y t o o p e r a t o r e r r o r , b u t r e d u c e t h e o p e r a t o r s a c c e p t a n c e o f t h e equipment. In some i n s t a n c e s , o p e r a t o r s have been known t o simply t u r n o f f CKT-generated d i s p l a y s y s t e m s i n n u c l e a r power p l a n t s , b e c a u s e t h e y d i d n o t p r e s e n t them t h e informa t i o n t h e y needed i n a ready-to-use format. Energy A s s i s t a n t S e c r e t a r y Defense Programs, O f f i c e of Nuclear Material P r o d u c t i o n , u n d e r DOE C o n t r a c t No. UE-AC07-ID01570. a f t e r m a t h o f Tnree M i l e I s l a n d . A s u b s t a n t i a l p o r t i o n of t h e USNRC-funded human f a c t o r s r e s e a r c h i n r e c e n t y e a r s h a s been d e v o t e d t o d e v e l o p i n g U C I g u i d e l i n e s t h a t c a n b e used t o assess t h e u s e a b i l i t y and o p e r a b i l i t y of complex n u c l e a r p r o c e s s c o n t r o l systems (Danchak, 1981; Banks, Gertman, P e t e r s e n . , 1982;Banks, Gilmore, Blackman, and Gertman, 1983;Gilmore, 1985). These g u i d e l i n e s , though n o t r e g u l a t o r y r e q u i r e m e n t s , are c u r r e n t l y b e i n g used by t h e USNRC p e r s o n n e l a s a n a i d f o r c o n d u c t i n g p l a n t a u d i t s . The need t o i n c o r p o r a t e human f a c t o r s e n g i n e e r i n g w i t h p a r t i c u l a r emphasis on t h e c o n t r o l s y s t e m t o b e implemented a t t h e Idaho N a t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g L a b o r a t o r y (INEL). e f f o r t d e m o n s t r a t e how a U C I