6.7 Results from the design phase
Usability Requirements
The learnabilty requirements are, summarized, that a controller should be able to judge
the nature of a problem to solve it the traditional within one day, and two days to solve it
using Descartes.
Because the time available for workshops with users was not enough to test this
requirement, and the fact that no actual database information could be retrieved from the
systems in use today, the learnability requirements were not possible to test satisfactory.
The results of the tests depended on the users opinions in this matter as well as our
judgment of how well understood the concept was. This way of measuring learnability
goals is not preferable, but in this case necessary. Therefore the learnability requirements
are more recommendations for future tests, and for successfully introducing this tool
into the controllers context.
The flexibility requirement was that the Operations Monitor is to be used as a tool still
working in the traditional way, but also to use it with Descartes. The different qualities of
the prototypes, meaning the different levels of technicality and graphics, made it possible
to test this requirement with the real users. Also the scenarios being presented in two
different ways, traditionally and the new way of Descartes, contributed to this. It was
found that the flexibility requirement was fulfilled.
One of the throughput requirements was that the time finding information about the
scope should be reduced compared to today. This had to be tested upon what the test
persons estimated, since there was no connection to real live databases. From the data
base information presented in the Operations Monitor and the functionality within it,
this would most probably reduce the time, and the requirement was therefore fulfilled.
The second throughput requirement was to support the user to choose which alarm to
handle next. The concept of the Operations Monitor as it is presented in this thesis fulfils
this requirement, according to test results.
The attitude requirements were that 80 % of the users should answer yes to that the work
would become easier with the Operations Monitor, that it would be easier to retrieve
information about the effects of an inconsistency in the roster, and that the decision-
making process would become more proactive.
The users were convinced that the use of the Operations would definitely make
their work easier; they expressed enthusiasm towards having all information within the
same view. They also thought that working more proactively would be possible due to
the fact that they, which is a consequence of the second throughput requirement, could
actually choose themselves which problem they wanted to handle next.
Functional Requirements
The functional requirements are that the Operations Monitor should visualize alarms,
details of alarms, data from the airlines databases, history of events, the data should be
updated in real time, it should be possible to create a disruption and send it to the
Disruption Manager.
That the data should be updated in real time is a technical requirement that was
not possible to test with the prototypes available, but it is the most necessary requirement
of them all, the requirement is the basis for the alarm generation defined in the
Operations monitor. The rest of the functional requirements have been possible to test
with the prototypes, and the users have considered them as the most relevant aspects of
the Operations Monitor and also considered them as fulfilled. Testing has also shown
that the main list of functions described in the functional requirements chapter 4.4, are
directly dependent on the succeeding list of functions.
7 D E S I G N R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S
In this chapter, recommendations on the design of the Operations Monitor are
presented. They are the result of our studies of the crew controllers and their work
environment, as well as the background information on human factors and information
visualization, and are meant to give a pointer to which direction to take when designing
the Operations Monitor.
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