ISO 1503:2008 sets out design principles, procedures, requirements and recommendations for the spatial orientation and direction of movement of controls and displays used in tool machines, industrial robots, office machines, earth‑moving machinery, transportation (automobiles, railway electric cars/rolling stock, aircraft, ships, etc.), information, daily commodities, public utilities and the operational components of building facilities.

It lays down basic requirements for determining the operating direction of controls and the moving directions or changing states of the target object, as well as other relations.