Foam,Wood,Metal: An Iterative Process for Console Usability Testing

Abstract

A new console workstation was developed for the CVN 77 Aircraft Carrier-Tactical Support Center (CV-TSC). An iterative usability testing cycle was conducted throughout the design process, with the level of fidelity and realism increasing with each iteration. In the beginning, low-fidelity foam prototypes with static or interactive displays were useful in facilitating idea generation, gross workstation design and individual component testing. This progressed to wooden prototypes with increasingly interactive displays and input devices that helped to refine workspace design, device placement, and display configuration. The iterative process culminated in testing with a fully realistic metal prototype to validate the design against the baseline console. The console design included multiple spirals of usability testing within each level of fidelity, with the results from each study incorporated into the next iteration. Objective performance data and subjective fleet feedback were included throughout the design process.