5 Tips for an Effective HMI Design

www.go2adc.com/HMI

• Start your HMI project by visualizing it on paper first

• Keep the operator’s point-of-view and ease-of-use in mind

• Document each screen’s content - Main Screen - Equipment Status Screens - Setpoint/Recipe Screens - Alarm Lists - Manual selections and message displays• Highlight dynamic graphics - status

indicators• Include repeated graphics - titles and

navigation buttons• Gives an early review of HMI design

1. Start with a Story Board

www.go2adc.com/HMI

2. Ask the Operator

www.go2adc.com/HMI

• Refine the story board with comments from the operator and other relevant plant personnel

• Keep in mind what is most important to the operator

• Don’t overwhelm with too much data, focus only on what is needed to understand the state of the machine or process

• Want data to be clean and understood with just a glance

• “There’s a frustrated artist residing in many of us, but HMI screen design isn’t the time or place to express these urges.”

• Use caution when developing graphics• Not necessary to use all color and

animations available in the software• Spinning pumps, valves opening and

fluid flowing through pipes is cool but may be excessive and distracting

• Only animate if it makes the operator more efficient

3. Avoid Distracting Animations

www.go2adc.com/HMI

4. “As Clear as Black and White”

Many HMI guidelines recommend limiting the use of color in your HMI screens...

Many HMI guidelines recommend limiting the use of color in your HMI screens...

• Color is important and has a purpose Ex: Red for Alarm/Danger Green for On/Running/Active Gray for Off/Disabled• Color, when used, should be used

consistently and with an agreed upon scheme

• Limit excessive color usage, consider low contrast gray backgrounds and the use of white indicators

www.go2adc.com/HMI www.go2adc.com/HMI

5. Display the Data Completely

• How you display the data is as important as the data itself

• Different data will require different display types

• A number on the screen may accurately indicate speed, but units and range may be in question

• Use tables, meters, sliders to accurately represent data

• Trend Graphs display past and present data and are good indicators of future values

www.go2adc.com/HMI

Additional Resources

www.go2adc.com/HMI www.go2adc.com/HMI

• Many guidelines, standards and hand-books are available covering HMI best practices and design

- ASM - ISO - NUREG - ISA - etc...• Creating internal HMI design guidelines

will ensure consistent and effective HMI screens from one machine or project to the next

Get more than you paid for with...

www.go2adc.com/HMI