Design of Controls
Computer Mouse
Example of Control
  • Fitts Law, moving mouse to move cursor
Control Methods
Description
Direct vs. Indirect
Description
Indirect
  • Most controls we are used to
  • Indirectly the mouse controls the cursor, or e control car by using steering wheel
Direct
  • Touch screens
  • Easier to do but has its limitations
  • Ex. Hard to control a ship than a car, because of many layers of indirect. Must anticipate position and velocity well in advance
Integrated
You can always have something thats both direct and indirect. 
Position vs. Velocity
  • Sometimes interested in position, ex. moving a mouse
  • How fast you are driving: Velocity control is accelerator and brake
Manual vs. Voice
  • Manual: Pretty consistent when all countries
  • Voice: in an international setting has lots of barriers (ex. language, grammar, semantics, accents)
Prevention of Accidental Activation
  • Covering
  • Locking
  • Location/Coding (ex. Know where brake and gas pedals are)
  • Recessing
  • Orientation
  • Resistance (don't make buttons too sensitive so slight vibrations don't activate button)
  • Control Spacing (How far away the buttons should be separated)
  • Shape Coding
  • Operational Methods
Other Ways
LABELS
  • Should be correct
  • Clear
  • Legible
Example: Controls
Different:
  • Shape
  • Color
  • Orientation
  • Labels
Redundancy
Very very very important
- more than one way to tell you something
Display-Control Compatibility
  • Location Compatibility - burners for a stove
  • Conceptual Compatibility - usually turn up when turn it on
  • Movement Compatibility - when you twist a knob clockwise it should go up
Design of Displays
Description
Control Gain
How sensitive control is to environment

Gain = (Change of cursor position/ Change of Control Position)
High gain
Moving mouse a little, cursor moves a lot
Low Gain
Moving mouse a lot, cursor moves a little.
Feedback
Feedback on Operating should be: 
- Fast
-Accurate
- Distinguishable
Selection of Control Devices
1. Task
2. Performance Metric (quantitative, measurement of evaluations)
    - speed
    - accuracy
    - learnability
    - flexibility
3. Workspace (size of container)
4. Environment
    - vibration
    - cold
    - hard
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