| ABOUT RITA | CONTACT US | PRESS ROOM | CAREERS | SITE MAP |
|
 |
|
PROJECTS:
Electronic Display Development LabThis room is used for a variety of different projects. The current configuration includes a Loran Simulator and a Tachistoscope Station. Loran Simulator
The Volpe Center developed human performance design guidelines for GPS/LORAN receivers. One study explored GPS/LORAN receiver programming performance under simulated flight conditions. The programming task consisted of entering, editing, and verifying a four-way flight plan. Examination of error recovery methods showed that non-intuitive menu structures complicated and confused the recovery process. Pilots rarely recalled "doing anything wrong" when errors occurred, suggesting that the receiver interface design was opaque and did not provide a good understanding of system function. Recommendations for GPS/LORAN receiver controls, functions, menu structure and logic, error recognition and recovery, and general usability are examined in a report titled: Pilot GPS/LORAN Receiver Programming Performance: A Laboratory Evaluation, Final Report, DOT/FAA/RD-93/43, DOT-VNTSC-FAA-93-20, February, 1994. Tachistoscope StationThe Center for Human Factors Research in Transportation has a portable tachistoscope which has been used to evaluate the usability of aviation charts. This tachistoscope operates in the following way. The chart is placed under a liquid crystal light shutter mounted within an aluminum frame. The light shutter is translucent but not clear. To see the chart the pilot or test subject presses a button which clears (opens) the light shutter. The tachistoscope is linked to a laptop computer which keeps track of when and, for how long, the shutter was open. Research using this equipment is described in D.W. Osborne et al., "The Effect of Instrument Approach Procedure Chart Design on Pilot Search Speed and response Accuracy: Flight Test Results." DOT/FAA/AR-95/8, DOT-VNTSC-FAA-95-13, Final Report June 1995. The Center also has a three projector tachistoscope used primarily for preliminary readability testing. 
|
|
