Assuring quality of color graphics for aerospace interfaces

Aerospace information displays require some form of quality assurance due to public safety concerns. However, the color design methodologies, standards, and guidelines employed in development of earlier displays are insufficient to guide current designs, which have reached map-like complexity. For these displays designers can only assure legibility and good attention management with designs that consider relations among all of the graphic elements. Quality assurance needs to focus on performance in context rather than graphic elements. We are investigating web-based color-guidance tools to help advance the design and review processes. Individual performance issues that guidance statements address are demonstrated in the context of a hyperlinked network of supporting information at varying levels of technical detail. Draft color designs can be developed and modified in this environment using web-based design tools that visualize the consequences of particular choices and the interactions among the chosen colors.