A study of input devices for menu navigation in the cockpit

Modern interfaces within the aircraft cockpit integrate a large number of Flight Management System functions into a single interactive system. In this study, four potential input device technologies were evaluated against a range of Human Factor methods, to assess aspects of usability. This paper presents the findings from the task times, error rates, workload, subjective usability and physical comfort data. The findings show that a touch screen interface produced the shortest task times; however discomfort ratings for this device were high. The results highlight the need for a thorough understanding of the task environment in order to support decisions for novel interaction styles in the cockpit.