A result of my four years of extensive research & studies on Aerospace, Spacecraft, Marine & Defense Sectors cockpit MFD software UX & UI design guidelines.

1. for Aviation, Spacecraft, Marine,
and Defense cockpit MFD
www.meetaristo.com
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2. Aristotle. A
UX & UI Designer
My elder, as well as younger brothers are Merchant Navy
professionals, and my cousin is a Pilot. Whenever we gather, we
often discuss their strange experiences in their respective occupation.
The most recurring topic for discussion would be the Life-Critical
System. I, even, remember them often mocking at my profession.
This triggered me towards Life critical system design engineer. I began
researching about it (went up to at least four years) and came to know that
Aerospace and Defense rely majorly upon Life-critical systems. Recent
studies state these sectors have adapted digital transformation to witness
growth resulting in increased demands, technological impact across the value
chain, and automation aviation aftermarket.
I got the chance to visit the real-time application of Aviation and
Defense software on live locations with the help of my
brothers and cousins. This, along with my four yearlong
research, gave me the motivation to design my
initiatives studying the role of UX design in the
Aerospace and Defense sectors.
INTRODUCTION
A result of my four years of extensive research
& studies on Aerospace, Spacecraft, Marine &
Defense Sectors cockpit MFD software UX &
UI design guidelines. www.meetaristo.com

3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
! Ronald Emmanuel Uwani
Chief Engineer, Marine.
Mesia Dorothis
Second Officer, Marine.
Valan Leon
Pilot
Thanking all the beautiful souls who guided, trained
and provided valuable tips to formulate the key concepts
explained in this content. This piece of work would not have
been possible without their guidance. Most importantly, they
have invested their time in me, making me do great things.
Thank you all for your guidance.

4. 1 What is Cockpit 05
1.1 History & Evolution 06
1.2 Glass Cockpits 08
1.3 Multifunction displays 08
1.4 Automation cockpit 08
2 Life-critical systems: Design tips 09
2.1 Convince your Boss 10
2.2 Offer natural feel to the user 10
2.3 Phased rollout 10
3 Human factors Design guidelines for MFD 11
3.1 Purpose of guidelines 11
3.2 References 11
3.3 Human factors and ergonomic handbooks also include: 11
4 General guidelines 12
5 Latest guidelines 13
5.1 Basic design elements 13
5.2 Simplicity 14
5.3 Consistency 14
5.4 Standardization 14
5.5 Safety 15
5.6 User-Centered Perspective 16
5.7 Support 17
5.8 Maintenance 17
6 Interface Animation 17
7 Design eye position 18
8 Design Process 19
8.1 User- Centered Design (UCD) 20
9 Interaction interface 21
10 MFD Menu Organization 22
11 Visual Interface 23
11.1 Design of Icons and symbols 24
11.2 Display color 25
11.3 Icon: Complexity and Concreteness 26
11.4 Visual relationships 26
12 Audio and Voice Interface 27
13 Summary 28
TOPICS

5. Have you ever got excited looking at the flight deck? If yes,
the answer is already here. Space, where the pilot operates
and controls the aircraft, is called the cockpit. This is usually
found near the front of an aircraft/spacecraft. The cockpit
of an aircraft contains an instrument panel (for flight
instruments) and other controls that equip the pilot to fly
the aircraft. In most of the airlines, a door separates the
aircraft cabin from the cockpit. After the September
11, 2001 terror attack, all major airlines fortified
cockpits from hijackers accessing it.
COCKPIT
WHATISTHE
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05UX DESIGN

6. &
The very early generation of flying was a physical
task based on visual and feel. During the earliest
days of powered flight, pilots obtained the main
information from the external environment. The
open-air cockpits allowed them to estimate aircraft’s
movements, provided visibility was good and
uninterrupted. The manual operation of ‘stick’ and
‘rudder’ was the sole control of the aircraft. From
the Wright Brothers’ model of string used as a slip
indicator to the modern electronic glass cockpits,
the cockpit display has been the significant means
of presenting information to the pilot.
In the 1930s, instrument panels, equipped with
more complex instruments, allowed the pilots to fly
in poor visibility and at night. Further researches
were initiated during the 1950s to enable this
situation. As digital avionics technology has
advanced, there has been an increased focus on
display design, aviation safety, and human factors.
HISTORY
EVOLUTION
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7. The cockpit, a vital interface between the aircraft and
its crew, must provide important information to the
crew instantaneously and conveniently. This, indeed,
helps the crew to assess the aircraft’s status and take
necessary action, regardless of the circumstances. As a
result, the human-machine interface (HMI) technology
emerged, which enables the pilot to use his senses
and movements to control the complex machine in an
environment to which human beings are not naturally
accustomed. The Society for Automotive Engineers
(SAE) issues minimum requirements for the pilot’s
position in relation to the following aspects:
The limits of human information processing may be
exceeded by the increase of status displays, warning
indicators, air traffic control data links, navigational
information, meteorological information, etc.
Therefore, a well-designed display is necessary.
ERGONOMICS
THE KEY FACTOR IN
COCKPIT EVOLUTION
HISTORY &
EVOLUTION
07UX DESIGN
• Visibility of flight instruments without any strain
• Minimum visibility outside the cockpit
• Easy oral communication inside the cockpit
• The ability to reach the controls without much
efforts from a reference position (seatbelt
attached, shoulder harness unlocked, pilot’s
eyes in reference position)
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8. ERGONOMICS
THE KEY FACTOR IN
COCKPIT EVOLUTION
08UX DESIGN
The multifunction display (MFD), a display surface, is
capable of providing information from multiple
sources and in different reference frames. The
device displays either group of data (eg, weather, air
traffic) one at a time or in a combined manner. In
aviation, MFDs have been promoted as a means of
‘layering’ information in integrated formats and to
present large amounts of data.
MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAYS
The term ‘automation’ refers to the usage of computers
to increase efficiency. As the term implies, automation
reduces the need for human intervention by the usage
of information technologies and control systems. In
recent times, we can find a widespread increase in
automation in all sectors, including aviation.
AUTOMATION COCKPIT
A glass cockpit is often equipped with large
computerized screens displaying flight information.
This term refers to the introduction of Flight
Management Systems (FMS) to help monitor and
control aircraft. FMS, developed in the late 1970s, has
replaced many analog instruments found in commercial,
military, and GA aircraft. Glass cockpits usually display
GPS navigation, TCAS, GPWS, weather information, and
possibly in future, synthetic vision systems. Moreover,
it offers integration of controls and an increase in
automation ability.
GLASS COCKPITS
HISTORY &
EVOLUTION
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9. LIFE-CRITICAL SYSTEMS
DESIGNTIPS
09UX DESIGN
Before I begin, I’d like to elucidate the need for and relevance of
life-critical systems. Let us consider the following instances:
AUTOMOTIVE
Are you working on a project
with a vehicle manufacturing company or
any of their suppliers? Has a self-driving
car startup recruited you? The terms such
as automatic braking, computer vision,
lane control, obstacle recognition,
electronic engine control modules, cruise
control, etc will sound familiar. Every one
of these is a life-critical system, where a
failure can be proved fatal.
AVIATION
When you are almost 30,000 in the
air, any system failure can be
life-critical. At home, if the fan in your
HVAC system fails and starts emitting
smoke, you immediately open the
window or get out for some fresh air.
Have you ever tried doing the same
during flight travel? Therefore, even
the most basic of systems can be
life-critical on aircraft.
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10. This is possibly the hardest but an
important step of the process, i.e.,
convincing decision-makers and
stakeholders that upgrades are needed.
The systems that operate in a life-critical
environment are often governed by
strong legal regulation and organization
policy. Therefore, the major opposition
will be from the legal team, who will
impose potential liability upon you.
They are right: liability is a serious issue
because if something goes wrong and
someone gets hurt or dies, it would be a
massive reputational and financial
burden.
What that means is that you need to do
the right calculation. You need to
predict future expenditure in case of
failure. If you can exhibit that there is a
high probability you will come out
ahead, there is a good chance of
getting your design approved.
10UX DESIGN
The following are the most important steps
involved in the process of designing life-critical systems:
You may be familiar with the phrase ‘by
engineers, for engineers.’ As engineers,
we have different mental models of
how technological systems work than
the average end-user. The actions that
you, as a designer, want users to
perform under specific conditions must
be those actions that should feel natural
to the user.
Users can be oriented to follow specific
procedures, but they may not always
remember all of it during high-stress
conditions. Therefore, it the
responsibility of the engineer to design
controls, software, etc in an intuitively
than a highly complicated one.
It is a choice between gradually
replacing various elements of a
pre-existing system with new elements
until everything is replaced eventually
vs. changing everything in one go.
Of course, there are pros and cons for
each: a phased rollout ensures that
changes happen in manageable
amounts so that the users aren’t
overwhelmed. On the other hand,
it can drag the process to an extended
period resulting in a constant state of
transition.
Immediate rollouts are beneficial as
they “rip the band-aid off” and speed
up things along, but sudden changes
can overwhelm users.
CONVINCE
YOUR BOSS
OFFER NATURAL
FEEL TO THE USER
PHASED
ROLLOUT
DESIGN TIPS
LIFE-CRITICAL SYSTEMS
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11. PURPOSE OF GUIDELINES
A large number of interface design guidelines
have been developed and are of great help for the
designers. Although guidelines cannot guarantee the
success of a design, they can prevent the designers
from developing undesirable interfaces. In simple
words, a display guideline is a tool that might be
used in a particular stage of the design process.
Guidelines must be written in general terms even
though they are proposed for complex software or
interfaces. For example, a guideline that says ‘every
display must have a capitalized title centered in the
second line’ would be too restrictive. However, a
more general representation of this design guideline
could be stated, ‘every display should be
consistently identified distinctly’. This would have a
much broader application. It is naïve to think that a
set of guidelines will result in a well-designed
interface/software. Perhaps, guidelines can be
thought of as ‘answers’ to display questions.
HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMIC
HANDBOOKS ALSO INCLUDE:
• Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics
• Human Factors Design Handbook
• Engineering Data Compendium: Human Perception
and Performance.
The display guideline documents for
reference are as follows:
Design Guidelines for User-System
Interface Software by Smith & Mosier
Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction
by Helander, Landauer & Prabhu
Designing the User Interface by
Shneiderman
Human-Computer Interface Guidelines
by Goddard Space Flight Center
Advanced Human-System Interface, Design
Review Guideline, published by U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
GUIDELINESFORMFD
11UX DESIGN
REFERENCES
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12. 12UX DESIGN
Display only and all the necessary
data to the use
GUIDELINES FOR MFD
Speak the user’s language
Minimize the memory load
Use the most effective display
technique for the expected viewing
environment and operator viewing
conditions
Eliminate unnecessary decisions
and illuminate the rest
Let the user know about the error
before getting into real trouble
Provide help
Consistency
Balanced communication
Symbolism/Usage of colors
Navigability
Familiarity
Accessibility
Safety
Personalization
Aesthetics
Simplicity
Consistency
Microsoft Corporation,
IBM Corporation,
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
GENERALGUIDELINES
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13. 13UX DESIGN
Systems and equipment shall be sufficiently durable
to operate and maintain under the conditions for
which it was designed or procured
GUIDELINES FOR MFD
BASIC DESIGN ELEMENTS
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
Make systems durable
Functions should be allocated to achieve reliable
system performance with the needed sensitivity,
precision, time, and safety at minimum cost
Allocate functions appropriately
Systems and equipment human factors
considerations shall employ early and continuous
testing with actual users in a realistic environment
Test with users
The system should be reliable, thereby maximizing
the availability to the users
Make the system reliable
LATESTGUIDELINES
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14. 14UX DESIGN
The equipment or system shall present the simplest design possible, thereby
maintain consistency with the requirements and operational concepts. This will
enable and make basic system functions obvious to the user.
GUIDELINES FOR MFD
SIMPLICITY
The term means adhering to the same principles with minimal variation. In the case
of systems, it entails maintaining a common design philosophy. A consistent design
allows users to take general skills and knowledge learned from one system and
applies it to other similar systems without extensive learning/training. It may be
difficult to maintain consistency all the time. During such times, the designers
must minimize the extent of inconsistency with the rest of the user interface.
CONSISTENCY
Maintenance of common user-interface features across multiple applications is
known as Standardization. This includes hardware and software. Tips to achieve:
design equipment with identical functions so that it employs identical or similar
interfaces, maintain uniformity for common functions (controls, displays, labeling,
marking), make unique functions distinctive, standardize look and feel, make
functionally similar equipment interchangeable and vice versa.
STANDARDIZATION
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
LATESTGUIDELINES
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15. 15UX DESIGN
GUIDELINES FOR MFD
SAFETY
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
LATESTGUIDELINES
GUIDELINES
Incorporate
safety factors
Provide a
fail-safe design
Make systems
error-resistant and
error-tolerant
Warn of potentially
unsafe actions
Identify safe and unsafe
states and actions
Design systems
to be uniform
Prevent damage
through design
Prevent misalignment
and improper mounting
Provide emergency
procedures for critical
systems
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16. It involves focusing on the needs and requirements of the users
throughout the design and development process.
16UX DESIGN
GUIDELINES FOR MFD
USER-CENTERED PERSPECTIVE
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
LATESTGUIDELINES
Provide timely and
informative feedback
Provide predictable
results to user actions
Use familiar terms
and images
Design within
user abilities
Accommodate
physical diversity
Facilitate transfer
of skills
Minimize training
requirements
Maximize human
performance
Design for 5th to
95th percentile
HOW?
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17. 17UX DESIGN
GUIDELINES FOR MFD
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
LATESTGUIDELINES
Help should be available in case the user has difficulty operating or maintaining
software, systems, or equipment.
SUPPORT
Equipment and systems should be designed in such a manner that it can be
maintained in the least amount of time, involving low cost and with the minimum
expenditure of support resources. This can be achieved by designing common
tools unless specialized tools provide a significant advantage over them.
MAINTENANCE
The animation is the process of creating the illusion of motion, which started since
times when people tried to show the illusion of movements in carvings or paintings.
It has become widely popular worldwide via animated cartoons. The animation is a
very flexible and multifunctional tool satisfying different users’ needs. In general,
based on our practical experience of work with interfaces for different websites and
mobile applications, we could define several functional groups of animation in UI:
INTERFACE ANIMATION
Animation enabling microinteraction
Animation showing the path of the process
Clarifying/explanatory animation
Decorative animation
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18. 18UX DESIGN
GUIDELINES FOR MFD
HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN
LATESTGUIDELINES
The design eye position is one of the key aspects of the cockpit design. It is also
known as eye datum or design eye reference point (DERP). It implies that the pilot
should be able to view all the main instruments present in the cockpit while
maintaining a reasonable view of the outside world with minimal head movement. It
must be designed in such a way that it is located high enough for easy viewing but
low enough so that it does not block the runway view during takeoff and landing.
DESIGN EYE POSITION
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19. 19UX DESIGN
DESIGN PROCESS
Phase 01 Needs Analysis
Phase 02 Requirement Specification
Phase 03 Conceptual Design
Phase 04 Prototype, Development, and Test
Phase 05 Product Evaluation
USER
CENTERED
DESIGN
UCDAs the term implies, user-centered design involves
designers to make the design fit for users. UCD is not
always about processes, techniques, methods for
usable products, but the philosophy for placing users
at the center of the process. Hewlett Packard’s design
phase grouping is a typical arrangement as follows:
DESIGN PROCESS
Phase 01 Needs Analysis
Phase 02 Requirement Specification
Phase 03 Conceptual Design
Phase 04 Prototype, Development, and Test
Phase 05 Product Evaluation
USER
CENTERED
DESIGN
UCDAs the term implies, user-centered design involves
designers to make the design fit for users. UCD is not
always about processes, techniques, methods for
usable products, but the philosophy for placing users
at the center of the process. Hewlett Packard’s design
phase grouping is a typical arrangement as follows:
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20. 20UX DESIGN
USER CENTERED DESIGN
DESIGN PROCESS
Gearing up phase & information gathering phase
The objective is to identify the need for the product by studying user,
task, and work environment characteristics.
Identifying usability problems on similar or existing products
PHASE 01
Need for specific design rules to be established during this phase
Make preliminary specifications of the user interface
PHASE 02
Objective of this phase as the development of product specifications to meet
previously identified requirements and performance objectives
Integration of Human Factors principles and guidelines happens in this phase
PHASE 03
Product is tested with the target user population performing representative tasks
PHASE 04
Verifying process
On-site customer evaluatios to get data for the next generation products
PHASE 05
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21. 21UX DESIGN
There are three primary means of achieving
an organized screen layout:
Currently, commercial aircraft displays exhibit two
dimensions, without any information about the
dimension. If they present such information, it is done
alphanumerically. The inclusion of alphanumeric
information requires the pilot to mentally transform and
then integrate the data with the spatial information from
the displays. The task of estimating becomes difficult.
Therefore, a 3D display would seem like a way to
alleviate this problem because all three dimensions are
presented more realistically.
Use an underlying layout grid
Standardize the screen layout
Group related elements
INTERACTION
INTERFACE
USER CENTERED DESIGN
DESIGN PROCESS
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22. 22UX DESIGN
MFD MENU
ORGANIZATION
Multifunctional display (MFD) reduces the cockpit
instrument ‘clutter’ as well as the time spent by crew
members on searching for aircraft information. The
reduction in pilot workload was the main aim of
introducing MFDs to embody an increasing number
of features and functions. Despite the popularity of
menu selection as a form of user-computer dialogue,
until recently, very little has been known about the
potential effects of menu structure on operator
performance
USER CENTERED DESIGN
DESIGN PROCESS
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23. VISUAL
INTERFACE
23UX DESIGN
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24. 24UX DESIGN
DESIGNOF
ICONSAND
SYMBOLSThe designer or symbols and icons must ensure that the icons
convey the intended information in combination with other related
symbols that may appear. The possibilities concerning the design are
enormous, and there are no fixed rules or guidelines for making the
best selection. However, success comes from a combination of
general guidelines and structured approach.
VISUAL INTERFACE
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25. 25UX DESIGN
DISPLAY COLOR AND MEANINGS
GREEN
Active or selected mode and/or dynamic conditions
WHITE
Present status situation and scales
MAGENTA
Command information, pointers, symbols and fly to
tracks. Magenta is also used on the weather radar to
indicate areas of strong return (ie, possible
turbulence/wind shear)
CYAN
Non-active and background information
RED
Warnings
YELLOW/AMBER
Cautions, flags, and faults
BLACK
Blank areas or system off
VISUAL INTERFACE
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26. 26UX DESIGN
VISUAL INTERFACE
The term “concreteness” refers to the degree of pictorial resemblance that an icon has to its
real counterpart. When icon concreteness is high, it parallels with the real world enable users to
form expectations that can guide their use of the system. Does an icon have to be complex to
be concrete? Not required. Design guidelines mention that icons should be kept as simple as
possible. Concreteness significantly affected accuracy and response times, while complexity
had no effect. Therefore, an icon does not have to be complex to be concrete.
Icon: Complexity and Concreteness
This technique helps achieve visual organization is to establish clear relationships by
linking related elements and disassociating unrelated elements through their size,
shape, color, texture, etc.
Visual relationships
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27. 27UX DESIGN
VISUAL INTERFACE
Voice commands are even more daunting to process - even
between people, let alone computers. The way we frame our
thoughts, the way we culturally communicate, the way
we use slang, and infer meaning… all of these nuances influence
the interpretation and comprehensibility of our words. So, how are
designers and engineers tackling this challenge? Yes, via Voice
User Interface (VUI). VUI is the primary visual, auditory, and tactile
interfaces that enable voice interaction between people and
devices. In other words, a VUI can be anything from a light that
blinks when it hears your voice to an automobile’s entertainment
console. This includes Voice assistants too.
Flow chart of speech recognition steps
AUDIO AND VOICE INTERFACE
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28. 28UX DESIGN
To summarize, User Experience (UX) design
plays a significant role in Aviation systems,
operations, and design. Though traditional
methods are followed, it is always better to
follow an evidence-based approach with
the necessary guidelines.
SUMMARY
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29. 29UX DESIGN
The future of the tech world across various sectors is- Glass
Devices. There are evident researches proving that glass devices
may replace the mobile phone (Futuristic Glass Smartphones) that
will be useful to school students for their knowledge acquiring
process. Therefore, when this is the future, the User interface (UI)
also heads to Glass UI.
THEFUTURE
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30. T H A N K Y O U !
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