Workload Response to Soft Controls Presented on Two Interfaces - 382
Lauren Reinerman-Jones, Jonathan Harris, Niav Hughes, Amy D’Agostino · Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research · 2017
Most operational Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) in the United States are primarily outfitted with physical (analog) Instruments and Controls (I&C). However, as parts wear out in legacy plants, these I&Cs are being replaced by digital interfaces. Furthermore, new plants are being proposed and built domestically and throughout the world that are composed primarily of soft controls in the main control room. To that end, it is important to understand if and how various types of interfaces affect performance. The present effort sought to compare a desktop and touchscreen interface. The Instantaneous Self-Assessment, the NASA-Task Load Index, and electrocardiography were used to assess workload response while performing three main control room task types on each interface. Results have implications for interface selection and assessment of new NPP main control room designs.