Touch Screens on the Flight Deck: The Impact of Touch Target Size, Spacing, Touch Technology and Turbulence on Pilot Performance

There is widespread interest in the aviation industry in using touch screen controls on the flight deck. While earlier research efforts have explored touch screen use in aircraft, relatively recent advancements in both hardware and software suggest that renewed attention to touch can help inform its use in modern aircraft. A study was conducted using a medium-fidelity motion flight simulator to investigate how touch target size, touch target spacing, and touch technology impacted pilot data entry performance, workload perception, and fatigue in varying levels of turbulence. The results are intended to support the development of guidelines and recommendations for the integration of touch screen controls into the flight deck.