Human Performance Assessment of a Prototype Multimodal Naval Command Center

Abstract

A user-centered design philosophy attaches primary importance to human-machine system performance as the key criterion in assessing the operational utility of complex systems. When the system under consideration is uniquely novel and emphasizes the use of relatively immature technologies, system validation must occur at a number of points in the design process. Particularly in these situations, human-system performance testing must inform engineering development throughout the entire design cycle, and not just at its conclusion. In this paper we describe an empirical effort designed to validate novel technical approaches to the design of a naval command center intended to support high levels of tactical performance in a severely reduced personnel environment. Using a human-in-the-loop simulation, we assessed the initial validity of our design concepts by measuring individual and team performance in realistic simulated tasks. By analyzing metrics associated with operational system performance, operator workload and situation awareness, we were able to identify functional aspects of the design, as well as those that needed further user-centered development