Standardization of user interfaces for lighting controls

Standardization of human-machine interfaces has proved beneficial in a number of technology areas. Lighting control is a home and office technology that is of central importance in energy efficiency and could potentially benefit from standardization, which has proved beneficial in a number of technology domains. User interfaces enable and structure communication to and from devices, however when this communication is not understood, there is increasing loss of amenity to the user – in not getting the services they want – and potential compromise in efficiency. Standard user interfaces can help ensure the best possible outcome for communication.This paper presents a summary of initial research on content for a global standard for lighting control user interfaces. A review of potentially relevant industry standards confirmed that there is no existing standard that covers this topic area, though many standards are related, including those covering symbols, indicators/actuators, generic user interface issues, accessibility, user interface content common to other energy concerns, and terminology. We surveyed many existing products, from simple switches, to those with many buttons, to those using graphic display technology. We describe a classification scheme for the entire ‘form’ of the control, catalogued the use of specific “elements” in the interfaces, and extracted topics (“concepts”) that embody meaning and are represented in collections of interface elements. Finally, we consider plausible paths forward to creating content suitable for a global standard.

► Lighting controls are becoming significantly more complicated. ► User interface standards are how we manage common and/or complicated entities. ► There is no standard for lighting control user interfaces. ► We reviewed potentially relevant standards, organizations, and many lighting controls. ► There is a good basis for creating a standard to cover common lighting control features and elements