Flightdeck-UI — a Synthesis

At this point, it is important to realize that genius is not a necessity in order to attempt a solution by synthesis. There is simply no shame in building upon the work of the best, in striving — even in the most mundane tasks — to apply the most powerful ideas that our civilization has to offer. Accordingly, the Flightdeck-UI project is based on the general method of solution by synthesis.

To achieve a synthetic solution, it is often useful to take an interdisciplinary approach. Problems that are difficult in one field may have a simpler formulation in another. In addition, it often happens that a problem has been encountered earlier in some other context, with much work towards a solution having been done already. Limiting one's attention to only one specific field of endeavor risks missing such results entirely.

An excellent — even tragic — example is the discovery of the properties of supersonic fluid flows. Long before this problem came up in aircraft design [WGB00], it had already been worked on and solved in the design of steam turbines. Aeronautical engineers were not aware of these earlier results [Gar01], and were consequently led to rediscover them. Initial "supersonic" experiments with World War II aircraft resulted in deaths — a result that may have been prevented if the correct engineering principles did not have to be invented again.

The interdisciplinary inspiration for Flightdeck-UI comes from the design of aircraft controls and instrumentation. Operating a flying machine requires very precise control of several variables — often under extreme conditions. Darkness and poor weather, combined with the motions of the aircraft, can cause pilots to experience sudden, intense illusions [Gar02]. Any user interface system that allows (in most cases) the right choices to be made under such condition — is a rich source of ideas for human-machine interaction.