EMB ERJ 170/175 ER/LR
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness; Distraction
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft; Human Factors
Short Final (perhaps 2;000 AFE). Short and busy flight. Attempted to zoom-in to JEPPS Chart currently displayed on my EFB (Electronic Flight Bag); to reference some information. EFB would not respond to my gestures (zoom). Multiple attempts; and then the device swapped pages (to a different chart). I was able to get back to the Approach page; but could not read without zooming... Attempted to zoom again; but with the light-turbulence I could not hold my arm steady enough to zoom (no place to rest your arm to steady your hand because of the poor mounting location on the E175).After several seconds of getting distracted with my interactions with this EFB device; I realized that I was very heads-down for way too long; and not paying enough attention to the more important things (e.g. acting as PM). I did not have the information I needed from the EFB. I had inadvertently gotten the EFB onto a Company Info Page; which is bright-white (rather than the dark night-time pages); so I turned-off my EFB and continued the landing (VMC) without the use of my EFB. I asked the PF to go extra slow clearing the runway; to allow me some time to get the taxi chart 'up' after landing.1. (E175 only) Mounting location of EFB is at 'knee level'; partially obscured by the flight controls (yoke).2. (E175 only) Distance from the Eyes to the EFB is almost 3 feet. Cannot see without ZOOMING or going HEADS DOWN. (Very heads down... as in head below the glare shield).3. (E175 only) Portrait Orientation - The EFB is mounted vertically (portrait mode) rather than the industry standard of horizontally (Landscape). Most Jepps charts are optimized for LANDSCAPE; necessitating excessive panning and zooming on the E175.4. The Microsoft Surface Tablet has a very poor TOUCH/RESPONSE.  Most of the 'gestures' require a very steady hand; making the Surface a very poor choice on an airplane with even light turbulence. Furthermore; some of the gestures (e.g. zooming) when not done perfectly; can cause very undesired states (like changing pages; or exiting the current application altogether).  Note: The touch-response and gesture problem are endemic to the MS Surface (not just mine). I've had two EFB's and used 3 spares in the past year... all of which exhibit these problems. 5. (E175 only) (Not a factor on this particular flight) In the Winter; condensation/frost builds on the DV window and on descent; drops of water fall onto the EFB (remember; the EFB is mounted roughly knee level in the E175). The drops of water are detected as 'random gestures'; and on many occasions cause the active application (usually Jepps charting) to exit; leaving you on the Microsoft Start page.I see no way to avoid this problem in the future without changing the mounting location of the EFB in the E175.This is just my opinion; and perhaps not relevant here; and perhaps not for me to say. Nonetheless; I have serious doubts about this specific Hardware and Operating system. Windows is designed for desktops. Microsoft is the ONLY tablet maker I know of that uses a DeskTop operating system on a tablet. My direct experience with the MS Surface (EFB) leads me to conclude that it is unpredictable and unreliable. I understand that the EFB is new and there are bugs... But this goes way beyond the growing pains. The basic usability is unreliable and distracting. I've used touch-based tablets and phones that work very well. The MS Surface (in my opinion) does not measure up to the experiences I've had with other devices. Not even close! OPINION: The EFB was probably not tested by our IT department for usability in the E175 environment. (A) TESTING IN THE OFFICE: The EFB (MS Surface) is tested on top of the desk; in landscape mode; and situated so that the user can comfortably rest his forearm on the desk while making precise 'gestures' from the WRIST.(B) IN THE COCKPIT (specifically; E175); the device is nearly 3 feet away from the pilots face; mounted almost vertically (as if glued to the wall in front of you; at a height level to your knees). All gestures in the airplane must be made from the SHOULDER (not the wrist). Add some turbulence to that; and you have a significant 'heads-down' distraction in the cockpit.
ERJ-175 pilot reported distraction and poor performance from the company tablet EFB on short final.