Visual Style Elements in Human-System Interface Design for Nuclear Power Operations: Does Style Affect Performance...

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Engineering
• Human Factors Engineering
• Human-System Interaction

Background:

• Nuclear power is a key carbon-free energy source, necessitating advanced reactor designs.
• Human Factors Engineering (HFE) is crucial for developing safe and efficient control rooms for novel nuclear power systems.
• Microworld simulators aid in testing human-system interface (HSI) concepts for nuclear operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate user preferences and performance for novel and traditional static HSI designs in advanced nuclear reactor control rooms.
• To gather quantitative and qualitative data on HSI design effectiveness.
• To inform the iterative design process for next-generation nuclear control rooms.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Rancor Microworld Simulator for HFE testing.
• Collected preference and performance metrics from advanced reactor company employees and nuclear industry consultants.
• Employed a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

Main Results:

• A preference was observed for basic graphical HSI styles with high contrast and traditional color schemes.
• No specific HSI design demonstrated superior performance over others.
• Participant performance did not correlate with their HSI design preferences.

Conclusions:

• This study represents initial HFE testing for advanced reactor control room HSIs.
• User preferences for static display elements were identified, with neumorphic designs being least favored.
• Future research will focus on testing dynamic display designs.