Development of touchscreen displays for the gulfstream g500 and g600 symmetry™ flight deck

Touchscreen display technology has been used for decades, but has only recently been accepted as a user interface within aircraft avionics suites. The proliferation of the touch interface was driven by the consumer electronics industry with smartphones and tablets. Touch interfaces have become embedded in society to the point where people are confused or annoyed when they touch a screen and find that it does not respond. Touchscreens have not been common in aircraft design, but the landscape is transforming. Gulfstream has led the aviation industry with the use of 10 touchscreens in the all-new Symmetry™ flight deck onboard the G500 and G600 aircraft. This provides the crew with five multi-function touchscreens (TSCs), two touch-enabled standby flight displays (SFDs), and three overhead panel touchscreens (OHPTS) that substantially replaced the physical switches present in prior aircraft models. This paper explains what Gulfstream implemented, and the challenges and considerations for implementing a touch interface in the flight deck. Gulfstream's touchscreen development is characterized by three major design stakeholders: Study-derived conclusions are provided that characterize the function-first design influence of Human Factors and highlights where art met function with Industrial Design. Implementation aspects are also discussed where concept became reality with Design Engineering.