An ergonomics based design research method for the arrangement of helicopter flight instrument panels

•Integrated value of a display is better understood by users than the degree of importance and degree of frequency of use.•UCIAM–User Centered Interface Arrangement Methodology is a new technique for user-interface arrangement.•Locational Value of a Display, Sub-Areas of the Display Panel are new concepts to analyze paper prototypes.•Functional Grouping of Displays is an intuitive concept for expert users.•Sequence of use is not applicable in the context of display reading.

In this paper, we study the arrangement of displays in flight instrument panels of multi-purpose civil helicopters following a user-centered design method based on ergonomics principles. Our methodology can also be described as a user-interface arrangement methodology based on user opinions and preferences. This study can be outlined as gathering user-centered data using two different research methods and then analyzing and integrating the collected data to come up with an optimal instrument panel design. An interview with helicopter pilots formed the first step of our research. In that interview, pilots were asked to provide a quantitative evaluation of basic interface arrangement principles. In the second phase of the research, a paper prototyping study was conducted with same pilots. The final phase of the study entailed synthesizing the findings from interviews and observational studies to formulate an optimal flight instrument arrangement methodology. The primary results that we present in our paper are the methodology that we developed and three new interface arrangement concepts, namely relationship of inseparability, integrated value and locational value. An optimum instrument panel arrangement is also proposed by the researchers.