Human factors considerations in prototyping an En Route Data Communications Human Computer Interface

Data Communications is one of the enablers necessary for the realization of the Next Generation Air Transportation System. The need to incorporate Data Communications into existing systems results in a large number of requirements and design decisions. One way to validate requirements and mitigate risks of design decisions is to prototype an implementation of the requirements. The prototype environment can then serve as a platform to demonstrate the capabilities to operational personnel and to compare design alternatives during informal evaluations or formal Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) experiments. To prepare for a high fidelity HITL experiment that investigated several aspects of En Route Data Communications, we prototyped a Human Computer Interface that extended our emulation of the En Route Automation Modernization system. We reused existing display artifacts where possible and introduced new display objects and functions where needed. We present several examples of design decisions made during this process.