In this paper we introduce a method to optimize panel parameters and drive signals in a matrix-adressed bistable twsited-nematic (BTN) liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. We measured the effect of data pulses on optical switching characteristics in a BTN LC cell to model the effect theoretically. We introduce a weighting function to model the effect of data pulses on the switching energy as a function of time. Once the weighting function is known, we can estimate the maximum number of lines for multiplexing operation at a given frame rate by calculating the minimum data pulse width. By characterizing a unit cell as we change panel parameters (for example, d/p ratio), we can optimize parameters for high-speed operation. We found that our theoretical predictions agree very well with experimental results.