The DeltaV@CMU Challenge

Emerson Process Management's DeltaV division challenged five master of human-computer interaction students to design an effective industrial plant operator control screen, taking into account the following considerations:

• While some industrial plants have been using incarnations of DeltaV for many years, others are now converting to the software.
• There are facilities that consider DeltaV too advanced for their needs.
• Trends and changes over time are used to determine plant stability. While a graphical model of the system exists, it is not always the primary screen worked with.
• While the operators are likely to be the first to discover problems, they often have to consult with other staff to get the big picture of a problem.
• Workers sit by monitors for 12-hour rotating shifts, often observing data on multiple screens to keep themselves aware of problems requiring immediate attention.