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Evaluation of ecological interface design for nuclear process control: situation awareness effects.
Catherine M Burns1, Gyrd Skraaning, Greg A Jamieson
1Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. c4burns@uwaterloo.ca
Human Factors
|September 5, 2008
Summary
Ecological interface design (EID) shows promise for enhancing operator situation awareness in nuclear power plants, particularly when procedural support is absent. Further development is needed for integration with procedural guidance.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Nuclear Engineering
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Ecological interface design (EID) principles have not been extensively validated with real operators in realistic nuclear power plant scenarios.
- Assessing the impact of EID on operator situation awareness is crucial for improving safety and efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if an ecological interface display enhances situation awareness compared to traditional and user-centered displays in a nuclear power plant simulation.
- To investigate the influence of procedural support on the effectiveness of different display types.
Main Methods:
- A full-scope nuclear power plant simulator was used to compare ecological displays with traditional and user-centered advanced displays.
- Licensed plant operators performed realistic scenarios with and without procedural support.
- Situation awareness was measured using two independent metrics.
Main Results:
- A significant interaction effect revealed that ecological displays improved situation awareness in scenarios lacking procedural support, especially during the detection phase.
- No other significant improvements were observed across both situation awareness measures for any display type.
- In some instances, participants using ecological displays underperformed on individual measures.
Conclusions:
- Ecological interface design can enhance operator situation awareness when procedural guidance is unavailable.
- The current EID approach requires further refinement, particularly in its integration with procedural support systems.
- Findings offer valuable insights for developing EID, industrial operator interfaces, and situation awareness support.
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