Abstract
In general, a human factors design standard must strike the right balance between specificity to prescribe proper design techniques and generality to insure that the standard can be relevant across a variety of system designs. Too specific, and the standard is rigid and minimally applicable. Too general, and the standards become open for user interpretation, which can lead to misapplication and inconsistency in applying the standard, producing results that are not reliable or accurate. The purpose of this paper is to identify potential considerations that should be addressed in the development of human factors standards. These issues are discussed within the context of a MIL-STD-1472F assessment of character heights and widths required for Large Screen Displays within a physical mockup of a U.S. Navy Ship's Combat Information Center. During the course of this assessment, a team of analysts performing character height and width calculations recognized several factors that may contribute to the potential for misapplication and inconsistency of standards. The following discussion identifies several of these factors, and provides recommendations for closing the gap of user interpretation, allowing for more accurate and reliable application of visual display standards.