ISO 9241300 to 307 and its authors: the members of ISO WG 'Visual Display Requirements'

1
ISO 9241-300 to -307 and its authors the members
of ISO WG 'Visual Display Requirements'

• BAM-DIN Workshop on Image Technology, 3 December
  2007
• Floris L. van Nes, ErgoNes and TU/e

2
Why are international visual display standards
important ?

• Visual displays are in all ICT systems, mostly
  because humans rely heavily on vision
• International standards can warrant
• the image quality of these displays,
• whatever their origin

3
How are such standards written and approved ?

• Written in ISO/TC 159/SC 4/WG 2 'Visual Display
  Requirements'
• Approved in a voting process by 26 countries,
  being P-Members of ISO/TC 159/SC 4, 'Ergonomics
  of Human-System Interaction'

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The new ISO visual display standards

• ISO 9241-300 Ergonomics of human-system
  interaction - Introduction to electronic visual
  displays
• ISO 9241-302 Terminology
• ISO 9241-303 Requirements
• ISO 9241-304 User performance test methods
• ISO 9241-305 Optical laboratory test methods
• ISO 9241-306 Field assessment methods
• ISO 9241-307 Analysis compliance methods

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Properties of these new standards

• Cover most indoor applications and many display
  technologies
• Separation of ergonomic requirements, optical
  lab test methods, usability lab test methods,
  field assessment methods and analysis and
  compliance methods
• Modular structure easily amendable

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Eight major areas of requirements

• Viewing conditions
• Luminance
• Special physical environments (outdoors)
• Visual artefacts
• Legibility and readability
• Legibility of information coding
• Legibility of graphics
• Fidelity of the displayed images

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ISO/TC 159/SC 4/WG 2 'Visual Display
Requirements'

• Active members from seven countries in Asia,
  Europe and North America
• Mainly engineers, physicists and psycho-logists
  from industry, government and academia
• Different backgrounds lead to different positions
  as to 'tough' requirements

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Recent case in point gloss and glare

• Part 303, clause 6.2.3b "The design of the
  visual display screen and surrounding area of the
  product housing shall/should not contribute to
  disturbing glare by the environmental lighting"
• 'Shall' becomes a requirement
• 'Should' becomes a recommendation

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Choice of 'shall' or 'should'

• European Council Directive 'for work with display
  screen equipment' (90/270/EEC) ? laws in Germany,
  Austria, Switzerland, ........ shall !
• American and Japanese PC and display
  manufacturers/marketeers should !
• Compromise must be found 'NOTES'

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NOTES to Clause 6.2.3b

• 1 CIE definition of 'glare' (845-02-52)
• 2 'Matte surfaces typically do not produce
  glare, whereas glossy surfaces may do so,
  depending on design aspects such as shape,
  colour, size, and lighting conditions'
• 3 'Gloss may be advantageous on printed paper
  and for some mobile reflective displays, to
  obtain high colour fidelity'
• 4 For prolonged viewing at work strive for
  harmonization of screen surrounding area of
  housing with their environment and its lighting,
  by ISO/IEC 8995-12002 and ISO 9241-6
  

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Does display standardization stifle innovation ?

• Not really it only presents boundaries within
  which technical and design ingenuity may develop
  freely
• Such boundaries are an ergonomic necessity
• The multiplicity in backgrounds of the standards
  writers prevents extreme views, of whatever kind,
  to prevail

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Does display standardization advance the state of
the art ?

• It could indeed, since it involves much
  interaction between experts from different
  countries, companies and organizations
• It may enlarge the view of specialists through
  their acquaintance with other fields while
  writing the standard

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Concluding remarks

• Standardization is a process such as legislation
  an essential part of interwoven societies
• Global standards remove trade barriers
• Standards need to be widely known and supported
  to be really effective !
• Those who make the standards make the rules of
  the game (Jim Greeson)