Applied Human Factors Research for the Technical Operations Organization of the Federal Aviation Administration

The FAA is developing and implementing human factors standards within the Technical Operations domain of the Air Traffic Organization. TO personnel are responsible for installing, certifying, and maintaining NAS infrastructure and equipment. Application of standards within this domain is intended to improve human performance, contribute to the more efficient and effective maintenance of NAS systems, and facilitate the integration of human factors into operational systems. Over several decades, the FAA has independently and incrementally modernized TO systems leading to user-system interface diversity within and across systems and facilities. Based on human factors principles, TO requested that FAA human factors research develop human factors standards to create userinterface uniformity across TO systems. Based on a review of industry and academic literature from the aviation, nuclear, and communications domains, there is evidence that the application of standards may benefit training and human performance while potentially providing the Agency with noteworthy returns on investments