Effectiveness of direct manipulation interaction in the supervisory control of FMS part movement

The use of direct manipulation interface technology as a valuable design technique for operator interaction and control with a real-time supervisory control system was examined. To evaluate the effectiveness of a direct manipulation interface, two user interfaces to a simulation of a flexible manufacturing system were evaluated. Five measures that reflected operator performance were analyzed. Subjects using the direct manipulation interface operated the system significantly better on three of the five measures.<
>