Designing a human–computer interface for a process control room: A case study of a steel manufacturing company

Abstract

This study describes a method of designing a graphic user interface (GUI)-based human–computer interface for a process control room, where the users monitor and control the manufacturing processes. The process control room of a steel manufacturing company was selected as a case study to apply the method developed. The method consists of six phases: (1) surveying human–computer interface design guidelines appropriate for control room tasks; (2) defining the requirements for designing new user interfaces; (3) evaluating the current user interfaces; (4) developing design rules and guidelines for new interfaces; (5) designing user interfaces and developing prototypes for implementation; and (6) evaluating the prototypes and redesigning. The new user interfaces that were developed on the basis of the method are expected to enhance task efficiency and safety by reducing human errors. Relevance to industry Process control rooms using man–machine interfaces are being converted into ones using human–computer interfaces to support user tasks and to enhance safety. This study proposes a method of developing human–computer interfaces for a process control room.