Protocol Analysis and Action Classification in the Evaluation of an Advanced Annunciator System Design

The use of protocol analysis and behavioral classification for evaluating advanced display concepts is described. Three experienced nuclear power plant operators solved problems in a full-scale simulator which employed an alarm suppression logic in the annunciator display. Verbal protocols and behavioral actions were collected as operators solved the problems, and were compared with protocols in which the alarm suppression logic was not used. The results indicated that more observations of discrete values and more control actions were made in the condition employing the alarm suppression scheme, suggesting more effective diagnosis and control with this type of man-machine interface.