Guidelines for computerized presentation of emergency operating procedures Original Research Article

New methods of information presentation and interface design have changed the work conditions in the modern nuclear power plant control room. One area that is receiving considerable attention is that of procedures—in particular, emergency operating procedures (EOPs). Such procedures are traditionally available as printed documents; however, developments in information technology have created new opportunities for procedure presentation, and this paper reports on the development of human factor guidelines for computerized presentation of EOPs. After identifying the principle stages in the transition from procedures as documents to fully automated procedures, computerized procedure presentation (CPP) is briefly discussed. Guidelines for the presentation of such are outlined, starting with the high level goals that also constitute the criteria against which the computerized procedures are measured during implementation. Six dimensions that describe CPP are presented and explored in detail, by identifying points in each dimension that characterize different levels of information technology sophistication.