Displays, deja vu.

Developments in electronic displays and computers have enabled avionics designers to present the pilot with ever-increasing amounts of information in greater detail and with more accuracy. However, technicological developments have not always brought about enhancement of the pilot's role as aircraft systems manager. In fact, there is evidence that the new technology may add to the pilot's workload to the extent that his performance decreases. Recent articles and reports of research indicate that application of human factor principles and procedures to: (1) develop appropriate display formats, (2) consider the total avionics suite as an integrated system, and (3) simplify or summarize related data will significantly improve total aircraft performance. Indeed, development of the "chip" and new display techniques create an imperative demand for human factor considerations early in system design, ensuring that user evaluation, information integration, and simplification are intrinsic qualities of the system.