Best practice: when to provide physical switches

Although well designed touchscreen displays offer intuitive, flexible, and compact switching solutions for multiple vessel systems and equipment, some cases are better implemented with (or supplemented with) physical switches, including NMEA 2000 keypads.

Consider that touchscreen displays:

  • lack tactile feedback

  • are sensitive to accidental touches

  • can be hard to use in adverse environmental conditions (rain, rough sea state)

  • can be hard to use when wearing gloves

  • may require additional touches (for example, using menus and page jumps) to reveal the required control button

  • may be hard to navigate quickly, especially in emergency situations, or by users unfamiliar with the installation

If the user needs to switch systems or equipment in response to urgent conditions, or repeatedly operate a switch while looking away from the touchscreen display, consider providing a physical switch in place of (or in addition to) a soft-button on a touchscreen.

Physical switches are also recommended when it is important that the switch location maintains the operator’s line-of-sight with the switched-equipment.

Some examples where provision of a physical switch is recommended:

  • operating the vessel’s horn

  • operating internal lighting positioned to illuminate bridge controls

  • operating an emergency stop feature (for example, to immediately stop a moving piece of equipment that is within the switch operator’s line of sight)