Demonstration of Lockheed's Computer-Human Interface Rapid Prototyping (CHIRP) Toolkit

Abstract

The main purpose of this demonstration is to show the capabilities of the CHIRP Toolkit which is being developed at the Lockheed Rapid Prototyping Laboratory in Sunnyvale, CA. CHIRP is designed to aid the human factors engineer in the development, demonstration and evaluation of advanced forms of computer-human interaction (CHI). The demonstration will show the ease with which high fidelity prototypes of interactive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) can be developed using a form of visual programming. CHIRP contains both primitive GUI objects (e.g., a button and a menu selection bar) and higher-level prefabricated interface modules (e.g., a panel of buttons and a complete pull-down menu structure). Reusable maps, globes, images, graphs, analog displays and other useful graphical objects are stored in application graphics libraries. Special interactive graphics creation utilities are provided to support rapid development of application scenarios involving orbital mechanics, image processing, tracking and signal processing.

Examples resulting from a variety of rapid prototyping activities involving CHIs for graphics-oriented military and commercial applications will be shown. These examples will illustrate the value of CHI prototyping in all phases of the computer system development cycle. CHIRP-based prototypes have been successfully used for marketing activities, for verification of system requirements, for simulating concepts of operation, for risk reduction studies, for usability evaluations, and for training users. Specific examples shown in this demonstration include a data fusion GUI designed for a proof of concept review, an animated 3D graphics orbital mechanics simulation used for requirements analysis and risk reduction studies, and an interactive GUI remote diagnostics prototype used for workload analysis studies and as a part-task trainer. Since the CHIRP Toolkit is a continuously evolving product, the demonstration will include a brief preview of future developments, including a capability to prototype multimedia CHIs which incorporate imagery, sound, and interactive video.