Design Solution

Through discussion with our client and evaluation of our user research, focus became “How can we help operators better understand what is happening, predict what will happen, and investigate problems that have already happened?&#rdquo;

We explored five approaches to displaying trends and related information.

Inline and Integrated Graphs—To allow operators to view trend information from the operator screen, an integrated graph displays the data for components within the respective components. Operators may scroll the graph to inspect recent history.

Bar History—History information is displayed visually with bars directly on components. The values of the component are shown over time, with each time having a different, increasingly faded color. We expect this to aid in predicting where the current value is heading, rate of change, and past values.

Radar Display—Related variables are placed on a multi-axis graph, known as a radar display. The connection of the variables produces an emergent shape, which eases the ability for operators to notice when the system is not functioning within normal ranges, and where the fault lies. This display also helps show the relationship between variables in a space-efficient form.

Trend & Events—Customized groupings of trends for comparison and review are displayed within the Trends & Events screen. Icons represent messages left by previous shift workers and alarms that were triggered. Detailed information is retrieved through a pop-up associated with a message or alarm.

Virtual Stickies Attached to Layout—We have added the ability to add “stickies” to the layout screens. An operator can create a sticky to record a message and attach it to a component or have it apply, generally, to all components.

It is important to recognize that our testing involved a very small set of people, not all of who are current DeltaV operators. Because we were limited to a single testing site for operator feedback, we cannot conclude that these solutions are definite improvements over the existing interface. That said, we do feel that some of the concepts have promise, but we would recommend further evaluation before introducing them into a commercial product.