ABSTRACT
Passive displays are alphanumeric characters and their arrangements. Active displays are instruments. Specific recommendations are given to improve legibility and reduce errors. This chapter focuses on solving the first-level (legibility) problems, the designer should not forget level-two (understanding) problems. It then provides six guidelines for using various displays. The first four deal with alphanumeric characters and their arrangements; the last two deal with instruments. Instrument displays are divided into four categories: discrete, continuous, representational, and video. Since visual displays are visual, locate them where they can be seen easily. Although that sounds obvious, there are many examples of displays that are "around the corner," too high, too low, and so forth. Another aspect of vision is the lighting. Some common visual display problems are: too much light (direct, reflected glare), too little light, and locating displays where people with bifocals can't read them.
