human-centered alert management systems on the bridge

SAFER, SMARTER, GREENER

HUMAN CENTRED DESIGN OF ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ON THE BRIDGE

JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECT

2 JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECT Human-centered alert management systems on the bridge

JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECTS (JIPs) – COLLABORATION ACHIEVES MORE. DNV GL

Human-centered alert management systems on the bridge JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECT 3

The alert management system on the bridge has become a distraction rather than a decision support tool for the navigator. The design of such systems has become too complicated to meet the needs of the end-user, the navigator. Despite the challenging outlook for resolving this issue, the first step to improving the human-centred design of alert management systems on the bridge is collaboration between the stakeholders.

DNV GL Maritime Advisory initiated and facilitated a Joint Industry Project from September 2015 to December 2016, to encourage stakeholders from all areas of the design chain to come together to rethink alert management system design. The consortium consisted of representatives from Solstad, Siemens, Ulstein, Rolls-Royce Marine, Furuno Norge, Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA), Hareid Group, Westcon, Intelecom, Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), NTNU and DNV GL class.

It is high time that the maritime industry changes its approach to alert management system design; such design requires a more human-centred approach and the unified involvement of all stakeholders. The purpose of the project was to increase the safety and efficiency of operations by improving the human-centred design of alert manage-ment systems on the bridge so that it supports navigator performance. The outcomes of the project are presented in a DNV GL report (2016-1147).

INTRODUCTION

4 JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECT Human-centered alert management systems on the bridge

HUMAN-CENTRED DESIGNThere is a gap between rules and requirements for the human-centred design of an alert management system and what is experienced by navigators in practice. Although many alerts may be relevant to an engineer, not all of them need to be visible to the navigator on the bridge.

For the alert management system to become more human-centred, the design should take into account perceptual and cognitive strengths and limitations. As decision-making processes are always subjective and prone to error, it is important to be aware of the mental shortcuts that we tend to take. We should build systems that prevent us from making wrong judgements. Alerts are a major source of information for navigators to gain an understanding of the current status of the vessel. It is therefore crucial that decision-making processes and cognitive biases are well understood and taken into account when deciding what information to present to the navigator.

The design process should also adhere to the principles for human-centred design (ISO 9241-210, 2010). These are:

1. The design is based on a clear understanding of who the users are, which tasks are to be performed and in which environment this happens

2. The design is driven and refined by human-centred evaluations

3. The design addresses the user experience from operating similar equipment

4. Users are involved throughout the design and development phase

5. The design team includes multidisciplinary skills and perspectives

6. The process is iterative

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WE AIM TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF BRIDGE ALERTS. COOPERATING WITH CUSTOMERS TO REMOVE ALERTS MAY RESULT IN A MORE ADAPTED ALERT SYSTEM.Linda Wiik, Area sales manager of Furuno

6 JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECT Human-centred alert management systems on the bridge

THREE MEASURES FOR IMPROVED DESIGNThe following three measures may help improve the process of achieving a more human-centred design of an alert management system: redefining the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in alert management system design, reducing the number of alerts that reach the bridge, and improving the presentation of alerts.

THE SYSTEM INTEGRATOR AS THE SPIDER IN THE WEBOne of the largest obstacles in connection with improving alert management systems is that, currently, the responsibility for designing such a system is scattered. One of the measures for over-coming this challenge is for a system integrator to be nominated as the “spider in the web” – the key stakeholder responsible for integration, optimization and consultancy.

For the system integrator to play a more active and central role in determining which alerts will and will not be presented to the navigator, it is necessary to define a system logic for which alerts are to be implemented and which are to be left out. This logic should be built into the alert management system. Currently, such a logic does not exist, and the system integrators lack the tools and experience to define it. The establishment of a system logic should therefore be a focal point of development for all stakeholders.

REDUCING THE NUMBER OF ALERTSReducing the number of alerts that is presented on the bridge can reduce the amount of non-critical information presented to navigators. Standards, rules and notations explain the categorizations and priorities according to which the alerts must be organized. These are only minimum requirements, and one of the consequences is that contractors in the design chain, for various reasons, tend to add alerts throughout the design process.

Three steps are suggested for reducing the number of alerts that reach the bridge:

STEP 1. Determine and prioritize alertsDetermine which alerts are essential enough to appear on the bridge and require an action from the bridge team. This means that each alert beyond the regulated alerts should be argued into the system. Then determine the priority of the remaining alerts.

STEP 2. Build a system logicIntroduce a system logic (a so-called Alert Reduction and Manage-ment Unit, ARMU) to regulate the incoming alerts. The system logic may be programmed using an FMEA approach (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) as presented in the diagram.

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FMEA process for developing the system logic.?

Does current event have underlying sequence alerts that are already present?

? Is current event a potential sequence event?

? Does current event have a cause alert that is already present?

? Is current event covered by a “redundancy partner”?

? Is the “redundancy partner” also in an alert state?

! Suppress/downgrade existing sequence alert.

! Suppress/downgrade existing current event.

! Suppress/downgrade existing current event.

! Release/upgrade event from “redundancy partner”.

UPDATE HMI

NO

NO

NO

NO

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

THREE MEASURES FOR IMPROVED DESIGNThe system logic should be able to learn that, for example, the alert linked to the failure mode is triggering a set of sequence alerts. It should then present the programmed failure mode as a root cause and subsequently suppress sequence alerts using the alert trans-fer mechanism. The system logic should also be able to suppress sequence alerts through responsibility transfer, making new alerts available within the alert management system. Alerts with “respon-sibility transferred” will not require to be acknowledged, but will, however, be presented in the alert list.

STEP 3. Regulate the communication protocolsAlthough neither international standards nor DNV GL class rules currently require ALF sentencing, the integration of alerts may be simplified by using ALF (with supporting ACN, ALC, ARC and HBT sentences) because ALF sentences include a functionality that ALR sentences lack (see also IEC 61924-2 and IEC 61162-1). ALF has been shown to be a simple and effective way to integrate alerts; ALF sentences are included in BAM (Bridge Alert Management) communication and they have been shown to improve the inter-actions between sensors and CAM (Central Alert Management). It is therefore recommended that sub-contractors who cannot deliver according to ALF, at least deliver a solution that fits ALF sentencing.


IMPROVING THE PRESENTATION OF ALERTSThere exists an abundance of information on how alerts should be presented to best support navigator performance. However, it is sometimes difficult to get an overview of or gain access to such information. This increases the threshold for it being used in practice. Also, not all information is equally relevant to or available for all types of bridge systems.

So there is a need to collect relevant information regarding human perception and performance and the presentation of alerts, to make this knowledge more accessible in the process of improving bridge system design. Information covering these themes is pre-sented in the form of a checklist. It is inspired by the CRIOP method used in the Norwegian petroleum industry to verify and validate the design of control rooms (Johnsen et al., 2011).

The aim of the checklist is to make information on the presenta-tion of alerts more accessible to stakeholders. This should make it easier for them to design a more human-centred alert manage-ment system. The checklist may be used as a reference document for the system being developed in line with human-centred design principles. The main focus of the checklist is psychological perspec-tives and user-centred design principles. The inclusion of general standards from a non-maritime environment offers additional


perspectives to human-centred design. This allows maritime users to draw parallels with developments and experiences in the human-centred design of alert management systems in, for example, the process industry, healthcare and non-mobile control centres.

The checklist could make the design process more effective by simplifying communication between stakeholders, who will use the checklist as a tool to discuss design expectations and align the way alerts are presented. This should foster a more proactive approach to human-centred design and contribute to making the design process more efficient.

CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT DURING OPERATIONS Although most of the guideline focuses on new builds, it should be said that the operations phase after new-building as well as retrofits also can benefit from the human-centred design perspective. Any modifications and maintenance activities should take the human-centred design process into account; involving the end-users, developing the product in an iterative manner, and reaching out to a multidisciplinary team of experts. A system-integrator can also play a central role in coordinating the work related to operations and retrofitting and ensuring that human-centred design principles are taking into account to the extent possible.


PARTICIPATION IN THE JIP HAS GIVEN US BROADER INSIGHT AND NEW PERSPECTIVES. IT HAS BEEN REWARDING TO COLLABORATE WITH COMPETITORS AND SUPPLIERS WHO FACE THE SAME CHALLENGES AS WE DO.

Frøy Birte Bjørneseth, Rolls-Royce Marine


REFERENCESHuman-centred design of alert management systems on the bridge (2016). DNV GL report 2016-1147.

ISO 9241-11 (1998). Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs), Part 11: Guidance on usability.

Johnsen, S.O., Bjørkli, C., Steiro, T., Fartum, H., Haukenes, H., Ramberg, J., Skriver, J. (2011). CRIOP: A scenario method for Crisis Intervention and Operability analysis. https://www.sintef.no/projectweb/criop/the-criop-handbook.

CONTACTFor more information, please contact the JIP project manager:

Fenna van de Merwe Senior Consultant – Human Factors and Ergonomics, DNV GL Maritime Advisory

Tel: +47 938 86 868

Email: [email protected]

DNV GL ASNO-1322 Høvik, NorwayTel: +47 67 57 99 00assurance.dnvgl.com

ABOUT DNV GL Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. We provide classification, technical assurance, software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. We also provide certification services to customers across a wide range of industries. Operating in more than 100 countries, our professionals are dedicated to helping our customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.

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human-centered alert management systems on the bridge

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