Skip to content
Assert Digital Ventures
  • About
  • Publications & Media
  • Newsletter
  • Blog
Design

Navy Reverting DDGs Back to Physical Throttles, After Fleet…

  • August 19, 2019
  • by Andy

Apparently, the Navy investigations into recent ship crashes at sea has concluded that touch screen navigation controls on the ships were at least partially to blame for those accidents. Due to this, they are reverting back to analog (physical) controls.

I think this is an interesting study in UX and UI design. First, assuming many controls were converged into a display, its always a challenge to force people to navigate through layers (also is a cognitive load) when they are trying to accomplish something. Second, if that thing they’re trying to do happens to be under pressure in a crisis, their cognitive function is much different than under SoPs. They will use a lower, less conscious, part of the brain to take action. If they are blocked by screens they have to move through this very well could lead to disaster. Give them a big board of knobs and dials for which they build muscle memory.

Tesla Model 3 Dashboard

I’ve experienced this myself. I love my Tesla Model 3 including the controversial “no physical controls everything is on the screen” dashboard. Its perfect under normal conditions. However, whenever there is an urgency, its a burden. When I took the car for its first car wash, the belt started moving the car into the wash and I suddenly had to quickly fold in the mirrors, turn off the auto-wipers and put it in neutral. Even though I had seen all these controls, having them buried 2 and 3 layers down (they certainly aren’t primary controls and thus aren’t one-touch available) made me have to remember and the pressure had me go blank. (We’ll forget the embarrassment when the attendant goaded me saying “don’t worry, we all had new cars at one time”. Thanks buddy).

The Navy will begin reverting destroyers back to a physical throttle and traditional helm control system in the next 18 to 24 months, after the fleet overwhelmingly said they prefer mechanical controls to touchscreen systems in the aftermath of the fatal USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) collision.


The investigation into the collision showed that a touchscreen system that was complex and that sailors had been poorly trained to use contributed to a loss of control of the ship just before it crossed paths with a merchant ship in the Singapore Strait. After the Navy released a Comprehensive Review related to the McCain and the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) collisions, Naval Sea Systems Command conducted fleet surveys regarding some of the engineering recommendations, Program Executive Officer for Ships Rear Adm. Bill Galinis said.

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/09/navy-reverting-ddgs-back-to-physical-throttles-after-fleet-rejects-touchscreen-controls
Snap announces Spectacles 3 with an updated design and a second HD camera
Shareholder Value Is No Longer Everything, Top C.E.O.s Say
admin
Andrew Breen is a partner at The Buy Build Fund and the principal of Assert Digital Ventures where he acquires & invests in small, cash flow positive digital businesses with growth potential. He uses his years of digital product experience to expand the market. Currently focused on health & wellness, Andrew has grown ADV’s acquisitions significantly to date. In addition, Andrew advises leading companies from startups, investors to Fortune 1000 companies on digital products and transformation. Known for his deep knowledge of the Lean framework, Andrew has significantly restructured the digital products, processes and culture of a range of companies. He is an adjunct professor at both NYU's Stern School of Business and Courant (CS) Institute teaching on a range of tech product management and innovation topics. He is contributing author on two books on tech product and cultural topics.

Related articles

When you compromise UX for…
Jack Dorsey wants to decentralize…
Google Nest removes ability to…
Proposed US law would ban…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign up for the ADV newsletter

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright 2018-23 Assert Digital Ventures, Inc.
Theme by Colorlib Powered by WordPress