Secrets of the analog operating panels: can they be revealed digitally in the new training simulator

Design of novel interface technologies is challenging especially when the system is to be used in an advanced process control activity. In this paper, we present the design process of a new interactive operating panel system, "Virtual panels," for a training simulator of a Finnish nuclear power station. The Virtual panel concept has been realized as a part of the training simulator's human-system interface by introducing a set of touch-sensitive wall-mounted and table-top displays. The previously used conventional analogue operating panels provided the model for the new digital panel system. The main design aim has been to be able to capture the quality "look and feel" of the old analogue panel system in digital form. Overall, the Virtual panel development has been an invaluable learning experience for the whole multidisciplinary design team, and many innovative solutions but also defensible compromises has needed to be made in order to realize the new digital operating panel system.