"An important factor in the design of equipment for maximum efficiency of human operation is the design, illumination, and arrangement of visual displays which provide information to the human operator. This report provides a compilation of general human engineering recommendations and presents some of the supporting data which should aid the engineer in providing the most satisfactory visual presentations of information. The report is divided into seven chapters entitled: mechanical indicators, warning devices, cathode-ray tubes and signal coding, printed materials, instrument panel layout, lighting, and visual detection and identification. Liberal use is made of pictorial, graphic, and tabular presentations to illustrate the data and design recommendations. A table of contents, subject index, and a selected bibliography are included as an aid to the user."--Abstract.

This volume aims to review some of the recent developments and trends that seem especially relevant to any attempt to understand near-term-future possibilities; to consider what a variety of knowledgeable people are saying about changes and developments that could occur; and to relate the possibilities to needs and opportunities for human factors research. Human factors, in this case, includes not only the implications of human capabilities and limitations for the design of equipment and machines intended for human use, but also applied psychology in a more general sense. In particular, it is taken to involve social systems as well as physical ones, the interaction of people with the environment as well as with machines, the facilitation of communication between people as well as between people and computers, and the design of policies and procedures as well as the design of equipment. The author's intention is to focus on anticipated problems -- including opportunities as well as difficulties -- and ask how human factors research might contribute to solutions. It is assumed that there are ways in which such research could be useful in addressing societal problems that the profession has not yet realized and that these are more likely to be recognized in the future if the community is actively seeking to identify them.

The User-Computer Interface in Process Control: A Human Factors Engineering Handbook is a handbook of human factors engineering guidelines for the design of the user-computer interface in process control applications. It describes the principles and practice of human factors engineering in the design, development, and acquisition of computer systems for process control, with emphasis on visual display use and design. This book consists of 10 chapters and begins by explaining what human factors engineering is, along with its role in computerized process control and some of the factors that contribute to deficient user-interface design. The discussion then turns to the principles of systems development and how they relate to human factors issues during the design process. The following chapters focus on the application of human factors guidelines to visual display units (VDUs); the strategy, method, and format for selection and organization of variables that may have an effect on human performance with specific application to user-computer interface issues such as brightness, contrast, and flicker; and various hardware aspects of VDUs. Controls and input devices, control/display integration, and workplace layout are also considered. This monograph will be a useful resource for software engineers, system designers, and project managers.