Ecological interface design and sensor noise

• This paper investigates the effects of sensor noise on Ecological Interface Design.
• An experiment was conducted by gradually increasing sensor noise in selected sensors.
• EID performed significantly better when sensor noise was industry average level.
• Increasing the magnitude of sensor noise did not impact the performance of EID.
• Increasing the magnitude of sensor noise did not impact the control stability of EID.

This paper investigates the effects of the presence and magnitude of sensor noise on operators' performance and control stability when they use an Ecological Interface Design (EID) interface and a non-EID interface. Sensor noise was gradually increased in selected low-level physical sensors of DURESS III, a representative thermal-hydraulic process simulation. There are two important findings. First, participants in the EID condition achieved target goals significantly faster across all magnitudes of sensor noise. Second, participants in the EID condition exhibited more stable control; experiencing fewer and shorter oscillations around the target goals. This is the first study to empirically investigate the impact of the presence and magnitude of sensor noise on the robustness and effectiveness of an EID interface. These findings are important if EID is to be applied in industrial settings.