ABSTRACT
Operators in the command center of naval ships are assisted in their assessment of the tactical situation around the ship and their subsequent actions by Command & Control Systems (C2-Systems). As the development of present C2-Systems has been focused on increased automation of working processes rather than on the ergonomic design of the user interface, Fraunhofer FKIE has been commissioned by the German Navy with the design of an ergonomically improved user interface for naval C2-systems. A touch-based design concept was developed according to ergonomic guidelines and using ecological interface design as a theoretical framework. The new touch-based design concept was then evaluated in an experimental setting in comparison with the interface of a current onboard system. The sample consisted of 12 operators of the German Navy who completed scenario 24based tests related to the tasks of tactical picture compilation and engagement using both user interfaces. The measured data included accuracy, situation awareness, workload and subjective ratings. The results revealed that the touch-based user interface can reduce the workload and enhance the situation awareness of operators. Moreover the touch-based interface was rated significantly more positive by the operators in comparison to the current user interface. The results suggest the touch-based interface can be regarded as a promising alternative to conventional interfaces.
