Mack,
I do software that is touch screen based for broadcast stations. I note that there are companies making "industrial", as in ruggedized, touch screens as large as 1920x1200 pixels and typically about 20.5" by 12.75" viewing area. A pair of such beasties in front of each seat might make a display you didn't have to page through.
I get the chills every time I think of a poor fellow in a cockpit with the important display of the moment up when something pickles. "Er, let me see, press exit, exit, exit, frimble, wubble, mixup, pickle-solution." By the time he's done that he has a missile up his tailpipe. (I have a background doing DoD work in my bad old days.)
The feeling persists. A basic set of critical gauges and displays must always be present. I have a suspicion that larger display real-estate might make a difference. I am relatively certain that the 'surprise' solution, automatically flipping the display to the important one, is not a good one. The brief disorientation could also be fatal. But, just maybe, it might be less fatal.
I observe that when the brown stuff starts to shred in the impeller more problems than major problem often appear. Picking the one true problem might not work automatically. If not, a large display could mitigate the problem a little.
Am I on to something here?