Ergonomics of Software for Visual Communication

Visual displays for communication are very old. We all know the prehistoric paintings on the walls of the caves in which our ancestors forgathered. Also writing and reading have existed long before the first “write” and “read” instructions were incorporated in computer programs. So, in considering the ergonomic approach of man-equipment communication through the visual channel, it will be wise to first survey the basic ergonomic experiences with hard copy books, figures, maps, tables, forms, slides and the like. Admittedly, most of these visual aids played an educative rather than a “job aid” role and this requires reconsideration. Next to this change of task, the background of computing power provides a number of new facilities, such as animation and the addition of more dimensions.