Application of in-house software to improve the design process of multifunctional aircraft indicators and control panels

The process of frame development for Multipurpose Control and Display Unit (MCDU), Multi-Function Display (MFD), and Primary Flight Display (PFD) involves a significant documentation effort and must produce consistent interface at the early design stages. We developed a formal description of the interface, including the interaction vocabulary, as well as custom software to simplify these tasks and improve the overall design quality. The software builds a model of the human-machine interface and uses it to automatically generate frame specification/documentation. This methodology and the software are currently used in several commercial projects.