Organize information around tasks
Separate the process overview, equipment details, trends, alarms and maintenance information. Navigation should retain consistent names and positions so people can find the information they expect. Siemens highlights user-centered HMI design and consistent visual standards. Applying those principles requires operator interviews, an understanding of working modes and a component library appropriate to the installation, including the way equipment is identified in the plant.
Make states and commands unambiguous
A pump may be available, running, inhibited or faulty. Present these states through understandable text and symbols, without relying exclusively on color. Commands should identify the selected equipment and respect access permissions. Process values need engineering units and data status. If communication fails, the screen should show that information is unavailable, preventing an old reading from being interpreted as a current measurement or a confirmed equipment state.
Test with the people who use it
Validation should reproduce tasks such as starting equipment, making an authorized adjustment, identifying an alarm and consulting historical data. Observe whether the sequence is understood and the necessary information is accessible. Also test screens under actual viewing conditions: reading distance, lighting, resolution and available interaction methods. Instructions and permissions should accompany the handover so that future changes maintain the same operating logic and presentation standards.
What to assess for your project
- Map tasks and access profiles.
- Standardize navigation, names and symbols.
- Display units and data quality.
- Validate screens with the operators.
COM3
How COM3 can help
COM3 can help develop human machine interfaces and integrate the HMI with the PLC and SCADA system according to process requirements. A project can include task assessment, screen standards, alarms, user testing and documentation, creating an industrial interface that fits the needs of operations and maintenance teams.
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Further reading and references
Technical sources consulted for the fundamentals of this content. Project recommendations are an editorial synthesis by COM3.