This study aimed to investigate user reactions to lighting controls and to develop guidance on achieving people-friendly user interfaces. An experimental study was conducted in the Building Research Establishment (BRE) lighting laboratory. A total of 24 participants were brought in and asked to control the lighting in a room in various ways. Their success and any causes of confusion or failure were noted; a questionnaire was completed for each participant. In general, participants preferred simple and familiar control types, although they did appreciate being able to change the lighting colour. Controls needed to respond quickly and give visual feedback to the user. Users preferred slide dimmers which allowed them to set their preferred level. Pre-set levels or ‘scenes’ were less popular. Lighting controls needed to be recognisable to avoid unnecessary detail and duplication.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. CIBSE Commissioning Code C: Automatic Controls, London: CIBSE, 2001.
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. The IESNA Lighting Handbook: Reference and Application, 10th Edition. New York: IESNA, 2011.
4.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. CIBSE Guide F: Energy Efficiency in Buildings, London: CIBSE, 2012.
5.
WilliamsAAtkinsonBGarbesiKPageERubinsteinFM. Lighting controls in commercial buildings. Leukos2012; 8: 161–180.
6.
YangIHNamEJ. Economic analysis of the daylight-linked lighting control system in office buildings. Solar Energy2010; 84: 1513–1525.
7.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. CIBSE Guide H: Building Control Systems, London: CIBSE, 2009.
8.
YunGYKongHJKimHKimJT. A field survey of visual comfort and lighting energy consumption in open plan offices. Energy and Buildings2012; 46: 146–151.
9.
HoesPHensenJLMLoomansMGLCBourgeoisD. User behaviour in whole building simulation. Energy and Buildings2009; 41: 295–302.
10.
De VriesPAartsHMiddenCJH. Changing simple energy-related consumer behaviours: How the enactment of intentions is thwarted by acting and non-acting habits. Environment and Behaviour2011; 43: 612–633.
11.
BourgeoisDReinhartCMacdonaldI. Adding advanced behavioural models in whole building energy simulation. Energy and Buildings2006; 38: 814–823.
12.
GalasiuAVeitchJ. Occupant preferences and satisfaction with the luminous environment and control systems in daylit offices: A literature review. Energy and Buildings2006; 38: 728–742.
13.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. CIBSE Knowledge Series: Understanding Controls, London: CIBSE, 2005.
14.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. CIBSE Knowledge Series: Refurbishment for Improved Energy Efficiency – An Overview, London: CIBSE, 2007.
15.
Lee M, Carswell CM, Seidelman W, Sublette M. Green expectations: The story of a customizable lighting control panel designed to reduce energy use: Proceedings of the 2013 International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, San Diego, California, Sep 30–Oct 4: 2013; 57: 1353–1357.
SlaterAIBordassWTHeasmanTA. People and Lighting Controls, Bracknell, UK: IHS BRE Press, 1996.
18.
LittlefairPJ. Predicting lighting energy use under daylight linked lighting controls. Building Research Information1998; 26: 208–222.
19.
EscuyerSFontoynontM. Lighting controls: A field study of office workers’ reactions. Lighting Research and Technology2001; 33: 77–96.
20.
LittlefairPJ. Photoelectric control: The effectiveness of techniques to reduce switching frequency. Lighting Research and Technology2001; 33: 43–55.
21.
Building Controls Industry Association. Controls for End Users: A Guide for Good Design and Implementation, Reading, UK: BCIA, 2007.
22.
RossPKeysonDV. The case of sculpting atmospheres: Towards design principles for expressive tangible interaction in control of ambient systems. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing2007; 11: 69–79.
23.
DugarADonnM. Tangible intervention: Improving the effectiveness of lighting control systems. Lighting Research and Technology2011; 43: 382–393.
24.
MooreTCarterDSlaterA. User attitudes toward occupant controlled office lighting. Lighting Research and Technology2002; 34: 207–219.
25.
Spaulding JM, Holt J. Exploration of gesture-based control for tunable solid state lighting applications: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 56th Annual Meeting, Boston, US, Oct 22–26: 2012: 1902–2012.
26.
Bhuiyan M, Picking R. Gesture-controlled user interfaces, what have we done and what's next? Proceedings of Fifth Collaborative Research Symposium on Security, E-Learning, Internet and Networking, Darmstadt, Germany, Nov 25–29: 2009: 59–60.
27.
DugarADonnMMarshallS. Designing tangible lighting control interfaces. Leukos2012; 8: 215–228.
28.
NordmanBGrandersonJCunninghamK. Standardization of user interfaces for lighting controls. Computer Standards and Interfaces2012; 34: 273–279.
