7.2.1-2 Making Options Distinct

The interface should be designed so that users can, at a glance, distinguish options by such characteristics as context, visually distinct formats, and separation.

Additional Information:
Slips involve errors in performing well-practiced, unconscious actions. Description errors, a type of slip, involve performing the wrong set of well-practiced actions for the situation. They occur when the information that activates or triggers the action is either ambiguous or undetected. Many control input actions involve the selection of options, such as choosing between alternative commands or selecting a plant component to perform a control action upon it. Description errors that result in selecting a similar but incorrect option may be prevented by organizing options to supply context (such as by functional organization), making options visually distinct, and separating options that users may confuse. Options may be separated by placing them on different display pages or different display devices.