Thanks Bob. I'd cite Donald Norman's "The Design of Everyday Things".
Amazing what you read on R.A.S. sometimes ;-)
Best Regards, Dave

PS: Not covered in the references: You can pick up motion trends during
a scan off analog meters, but not discrete indicators (LCD). All the above
is why we (ILEC) continue to use mechanical round dials despite their being
the highest cost single component and not as reliable as the alternatives...

(Bob Kuykendall) wrote in message . com...
Earlier, Robert Ehrlich wrote:

The "normal" instruments are very easy to
interpret (it has been shown that round dials are by far the easiest to
comprehend for the human brain: judging angles is easier than judging a
distance or reading and interpretting a figure.)

Not obviuous for me...

The assertion that angular guages are easier to read is backed up by
countless perception and human factors studies. It is also
corroborated by studies of the stimulation network pre-processing that
takes place right in the retina at the back of the eye.

Human factors texts such as McCormick's, and physiology texts on
sensation and perception deal with this topic at great length.

Thanks, and best regards to all

Bob K.