The effects of task and multifunction display characteristics on pilot viewport allocation strategy

Multifunction displays (MFDs) and other electronic repositories of information are increasingly being deployed in the flightdeck environment. As is the case with the more traditional dedicated displays they are replacing, there is often a need to scan between information sources (i.e., screens) in order to monitor dynamic information sources or integrate information across different screens. Yet there exists little understanding of the relationships between screens which are important in influencing information accessibility and usability in MFDs. Even less is understood about how the database organization and navigational tools used to traverse the MFD drive pilot strategy in managing different tasks competing for the use of the limited number of available display viewports which serve as "windows" into the contents of the database. A study was conducted in an effort to identify important task and display characteristics influencing pilot strategy in allocating display viewports to tasks which require information contained within MFDs. With the identification of the factors underlying choice of strategy we can begin to understand the factors which should drive effective MFD interface design and which can facilitate MFD-based multitask performance in the cockpit.