HUMAN MACHINE INTERACTION
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As a machine operator on a manufacturing site, what do you do when something goes wrong at 2 a.m. and the control system spews 50 errors within a minute? How do you quickly identify the issue and get systems operational again?
This project not only improved the user experience for operators, but also reduced previous downtime and system issues that were prevalent for the past five years.
“I never saw the HMI arranged this way!” - Unnamed Machine Operator
PROJECT SUMMARY
Note: Specific details of the Project cannot be disclosed due to non-disclosure agreements.
This project aimed to eliminate reliability issues related to human-machine interfaces (HMI) and improve the user experience for the various stakeholders in Operations, Engineering, Maintenance and Leadership. The scope was limited to two control rooms that operated 2 machines, and involved numerous contractors and internal teams.
Project Duration: April 2017 - June 2019.
Research Methods used
Contextual Inquiries
Field Research
Observation
Surveys
MY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
I was the Project Manager for the Human Machine Interaction (HMI) project that was launched to standardize and improve the reliability of the controls system and enhance the user experience of machine interfaces. I lead the UX Research for this project, in addition to other responsibilities, and worked with a designer(vendor) who assisted with the design implementation. I also issued contracts, and managed other business related aspects for this project.
I was the primary on-call engineer for HMI issues, and was available for day and night shifts to assist with any downtime problems for the system.
DESIGN THINKING & EMPATHY WORKSHOPS
I conducted empathy workshops with Operations and Engineering and other stakeholders. This created a shared understanding of the issues and pain-points faced by the users.
Research findings and insights were communicated effectively to the different stakeholders (Leadership, Maintenance & Operations) at various points in the project life-cycle.
This image depicts the design thinking stages from Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
SYNTHESIZING USER RESEARCH
I conducted contextual inquiries, surveys and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of users’ pain points. The findings from the interviews were synthesized using an affinity map that uncovered deep insights about different opportunities within the system.
These maps were used to analyze the data and visually represent and communicate their current mental-model of the manufacturing process.
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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I worked with different stakeholders (internal and external) and vendors to implement this project. As a Project Manager, I managed all the contracts required to complete the work for this project and they were issued in phases.
In addition to this project, I was involved with other projects and initiatives on site, and I had to manage a portfolio of different projects that involved various team members.
CHALLENGES
There were numerous challenges through the life cycle of the project.
Adapting to business needs: This project was completed over a period of years and the varying business needs led to adaptability with the project scope and methods.
People & Culture: This project introduced new ideas and concepts that would change previous 15 year-old systems. This aspect of the project was challenging and extremely fulfilling; empathy workshops were key for this challenge.
Multiple phases: This project had different phases, and was completed over a period of couple years.
Constraints: There were many constraints and uncertainties that revolved around this project, primary ones being budget and time. Due to an increased urgency in need for the project implementation, more resources were allocated and the timeline for the project was advanced.
IMPACT & OUTCOMES
This project eliminated the previous 5-year interface related downtime, and improved user experience for all stakeholders.
This project led to a shift in culture on-site as well as off-site. Employees, who were previously engineering focused, were aligning with the human-centered design process and applying those ways to operational tasks. This project also created the first inter-company HMI Design Standard that was adopted by other sites across the company.
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PRESENTATION AT THE CONFERENCE
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I spoke at the International Society of Automation’s Process Controls & Safety Symposium 2018 on applying human-centered computing towards HMI interface design and presented my paper at this conference.
I received valuable feedback on my work and it was wonderful to share my knowledge and learn from other experienced professionals in the field!