ISO has just launched a new CD-ROM compilation of International Standards aimed at making electronic visual displays safer and more comfortable for users, while giving designers, manufacturers and purchasing managers state-of-the-art guidance.

Electronic visual displays are ubiquitous in modern life – from television sets to computer terminals and mobile computers. The ISO International Standards compiled on the CD-ROM ISO Pack: Ergonomics of electronic visual displays are therefore an important contribution to ensuring their quality and suitability for the people who use them – often intensively.

The CD-ROM includes the nine standards and technical reports of the ISO 9241 “300” series on different aspects of the ergonomic design of electronic visual displays. This comprehensive collection will guide the visual display designer in ergonomics terminology, quality and performance, test and analysis and the latest technology.

Its modular structure will facilitate its updating to keep pace with ongoing technological development and new forms of display interaction.

The performance specifications provided are aimed at ensuring effective and comfortable viewing conditions for users, while the test methods and metrology – providing criteria for conformity and measurement – are well suited for design evaluation.

In addition, its guidance on the newer display technologies will assist the designer, as well as the purchasing manager, in choosing the best type of display for the application.

The ISO 9241 “300” series was published in 2008. It is a sub-set of the ISO 9241 family which, when complete, will comprise more than 50 parts, with subjects ranging from electronic visual displays to physical input devices, dialogue techniques, interface control components, software accessibility, human-centred design, workstations and the work environment, application domains (control room/centre design/layout), and tactile and haptic interactions.

The ISO 9241 family is the work of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 159, Ergonomics, subcommittee SC 4, Ergonomics of human-system interaction. ISO/TC 159 and its subcommittees have developed 103 International Standards and related documents which help both to optimize and make safer the interaction between people and the systems they use at work and at play.