MAID: Multi-Modal Aid for Interface Design

The goal of MAID is to score the information fit between user tasks and display designs for the space shuttle and the international space station.

Our approach to construct a UI design aid for NASA—called the Multi-modal Aid for Interface Design (MAID), targeted towards designing displays consistent with the procedural requirements used in space-based missions, such as Shuttle and ISS. MAID works by scoring the information fit between user tasks and display designs for the space shuttle and the international space station. A great many military and commercial applications make use of procedure execution displays for maintenance, configuration and day-to-day operations. A procedure execution design aid will speed the cycle of design and revision and reduce costs, whether it is used by government or industry. Furthermore, by creating a MAID that reduces the expertise needed to do design, and by integrating it into procedure review and training, we make it more plausible for end users to participate more directly in designing their UIs. Commercial vendors and operators of virtually any complex equipment that must be maintained, diagnosed and operated under specific procedures could benefit from a MAID tool such as we propose. Industries include commercial and military aviation, power generation, refinery operations, manufacturing operations of most kinds, and many medical domains.