HMI - Don't overdo it with complex design
Article#: 00098
Date: 2024-09-25
Author: Radim
HMI design is critical to operator performance, especially to maintain their vigilance and situational awareness.
The ultimate objective is to present operators with the necessary information in a clear, concise manner that minimizes the risk of errors and reduces response times.
A well-designed graphical interface directs attention to the most critical information.
Operators should be able to recognize urgent issues at a glance, avoiding any need to search for relevant data.
Overcrowding screens with irrelevant or excessive information, animations, and complex 3D graphics can lead to confusion and unnecessary delays.
To enhance clarity and usability, it's essential to limit the use of color, reserving it for highlighting abnormalities or alarm conditions.
Flashing effects can desensitize operators to important alerts or even distract them from more critical issues.
Visual clutter, such as gradient backgrounds, animated elements, or irrelevant data, only detracts from the operator's focus and must be avoided.
Unfortunately, many HMI designers and developers find inspiration from manufacturers of Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, who often showcase unnecessarily complex and visually appealing designs.
These include features like spinning pumps, opening and closing valves, and fluid movement animations.
While such elements may look impressive at first glance, they do not contribute to the operator’s task of monitoring and controlling the system.
Instead, these distractions can become irritating for operators who spend long hours in front of the displays every day.
In conclusion, effective graphical interface prioritize simplicity, clarity, and functionality over visual appeal.
Rather than aiming for a flashy design, focus on creating a user-friendly graphical interface that operators can rely on and appreciate during their daily work.
© Radim-Automation, 2020–2025. All rights reserved.
Sharing of this article is permitted with proper attribution (link to the original page).
Related previous articles:
- HMI - Have a consistent style
- High Performance HMI
- Graphic designer
- Talk to operators
- Clear signals
- Design considerations for effective HMIS
- Are there also any disadvantages?
- Think critically!
- Design machines with a focus on user's abilities and needs
- Why do automation projects fail?
- Collect all the requirements and sort them!
- Who will operate?
- Functional and intuitive HMI
- Use a usefull styleguide!
- HMI and PLC applications should grow together
- Do you really want to start with this?
- I can see what you can not see
- More than just start and stop
- Do the right things and do them right!
- Don't make it worse!
- Keep the answers to the question "Why"
- Everything is difficult until it becomes easy
- Introduce the terminology and standardize it!
- Realize every good idea ASAP!
- Industrial evolution - Listen to your customers and follow new trends!
- Stay alert!
- Have an expert on hand!
- What does the customer need?
- Don't disappoint your customer!
- Ask questions!
- Focus on target!
- Think on paper!
- Don't hide any problem!
- Check the result!
- Keep it simple!
- Success is not a matter of coincidence
- Choose the right tool!
- Development is evolution
- Follow the vision!
- Transparency and reliability
- From an idea to a consistent system
Related next articles:
- HMI is not a web page
- Choosing an HMI display
- HMI layout and correct display size
- HMI layout design
- HMI navigation
- HMI - back and forward navigation buttons
- HMI – Don’t hide anything
- HMI - annoying pop-up windows
- HMI - colors in the visualization
- What makes an HMI intuitive?
Comment#: 00001
Date: 2024-09-27
User: Radim
Manufacturers of Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems often showcase flashy examples designed to catch attention, but these are not optimized for real-world operations where clarity, speed, and simplicity are paramount. In actual system implementations, it's crucial to strip away these "showcase" elements and adhere to the principles of good HMI design.
These manufacturers aim to impress potential customers by highlighting the graphical capabilities of their systems, often focusing on "wow" factors rather than practical usability. To demonstrate the full range of features and customization options, they tend to overpack example displays, often at the expense of usability. In doing so, they prioritize aesthetics and technological sophistication over essential principles like clarity, simplicity, and efficiency.
Comment#: 00002
Date: 2024-09-29
User: Radim
Make important information stand out - You can increase situation awareness by making critical information stand out and less important data recede to the background.
The first step is knowing what information is more important and what is less so. Your study of operator tasks should help you determine the relative importance of data in normal and abnormal situations.
- Opto 22. Building an HMI that Works - Best Practices for Operator Interface Design,
- https://documents.opto22.com/2061_High_Performance_HMI_white_paper.pdf
Comment#: 00003
Date: 2024-09-29
User: Radim
Design choices for your HMI project should always be dictated by one question: How can the HMI maximize the operator’s efficiency?
An optimized HMI can make an operator more efficient by conveying important information effectively. Always keep the end-users of your HMI project in mind. They will be the ones using the project regularly and if the HMI doesn’t work for them, it will be essentially worthless.
- https://inductiveautomation.com/resources/article/4-graphic-design-tips-to-optimize-hmis?utm_medium=digital&utm_source=automationworld-personifai&utm_campaign=2024-automationworld-personifai&AdvertisingTouch=aw-personifai-2024&Lead_Source=aw-personifai-2024
Comment#: 00004
Date: 2024-09-29
User: Radim
The more information that is displayed on an HMI screen, the more difficult it is to draw an operator’s attention to one specific part of it. Keep your screens simple and it will be easier for operators to focus on what is important. The simpler the screen the more emphasis each element of the screen will have.
- https://inductiveautomation.com/resources/article/4-graphic-design-tips-to-optimize-hmis?utm_medium=digital&utm_source=automationworld-personifai&utm_campaign=2024-automationworld-personifai&AdvertisingTouch=aw-personifai-2024&Lead_Source=aw-personifai-2024
Comment#: 00005
Date: 2024-10-02
User: Radim
Remove distracting visual elements. This includes gradient coloring, animations and flashing objects. These design elements distract the operator rather than draw them in to what most needs attention.
- General Electric (2021). Modern HMI/SCADA Guidebook for Efficient Operations.
- https://www.ge.com/digital/lp/modern-hmiscada-guidebook-efficient-operations
Comment#: 00006
Date: 2024-10-09
User:
The bigges failure of the new style HMI are the customer and some designer compared it with an iphone. Like the HMI must react fastly how a iphone and so on.
But they forgot behind the HMI is a hardware and needs a little bit of time. Not by an iphone app, there is only a programm which is running.
Comment#: 00007
Date: 2025-01-20
User: Radim
"It has become commonplace for HMI applications to act as a showpiece that emulates the process in a very visual manner, and often that visual presentation is used to justify the automation investment to key stakeholders.
However, these very elaborate visual approaches often impair the operator’s ability to ascertain the current situation and ultimately make key decisions."
- John Krajewski. AVEVA (2023). HMI/SCADA design fundamentals: Building for situational awareness. (Page 05)
- https://de.scribd.com/document/773251489/White-Paper-HMI-SCADA-Fundamentals-Building-for-Situational-Awareness
Comment#: 00008
Date: 2025-01-20
User: Radim
"HMI Development Considerations for Situational Awareness:
John Krajewski from AVEVA walks us through an introduction to HMI development considerations for Situational Awareness. This brief video shows how System Platform & OMI have been specifically tailored to allow operators to glean maximum process information and ease alarm state recognition using modern techniques."
- https://industrial-software.com/training-support/educational-videos/hmi-development-considerations-for-situational-awareness/
Comment#: 00009
Date: 2025-02-18
User: Radim
Why is the hamburger menu not ideal for industrial visualization?
Recently, the hamburger menu has become increasingly common in industrial HMI systems. While this element is widely used in mobile and web applications, it may not be the best choice for industrial visualization.
The main drawback is that it hides important control elements (buttons) and requires an extra click. Users first have to open the menu before selecting the desired function. This reduces efficiency and can be a problem, especially in environments where speed and clarity are crucial.
A better solution is a fixed toolbar with the key control elements (buttons). It provides immediate access to essential functions, improves user orientation, and reduces the time needed to perform an action. Of course, this should be considered already at the beginning of the project - especially when choosing a sufficiently large display that allows a clear arrangement of the control elements on the screen.
Do you use a hamburger menu in your HMI systems, or do you prefer fixed toolbar with the most important buttons?
Comment#: 00010
Date: 2025-03-05
User: Radim
"Display media must be designed to say exactly what's needed - no more or less - directly, clearly, and without any form of distraction, in a way that communicates the maximum meaning in the minimum amount of space. If a chart that looks like a fuel gauge, thermometer, or traffic signal communicates the necessary information in this manner, and does so in a minimum amount of space, then that's what we should use. If, however, it fails any of these tests, it should be replaced with something that does the job better. Insisting on cute charts when another means would work better is counterproductive even if everyone seems to be in love with them. This love is fickle. The appeal of cuteness will fade quickly, and, when it does, the only thing that will matter is how well the means of display works: how efficiently and effectively it communicates."
- Stephen Few. Analytics Press (2013). Information dashboard design - Displaying data for at-a-glance monitoring. Second edition. (Page 96)
Comment#: 00011
Date: 2025-03-07
User: Radim
"The most powerful designs are the ones we do not notice. The real power of designers and developers is in turning something incredibly complex into something amazingly simple. The challange is not to add new features but to add value and power to products without adding any complexity. Desing does not happen by accident. It is the product of careful and deliberate planning."
- Eleanor Taylor, Strategist, SAS Institute.
- Stephen Few. Analytics Press (2013). Information dashboard design - Displaying data for at-a-glance monitoring. Second edition.
Comment#: 00012
Date: 2025-06-13
User: Radim
Why I don't like blinking (flashing) elements in visualizations:
Blinking elements on the screen tend to attract excessive attention that should ideally be distributed among all relevant parts of the visualization. They disrupt concentration and reduce work efficiency, especially for operators who spend long hours in front of the displays. In such cases, blinking becomes not only distracting but also irritating.
Furthermore, blinking is not visible on static outputs like screenshots or printed pages, which can lead to misunderstandings or loss of important information when sharing or archiving content.
If the blinking frequency is too slow, one might not even notice it during a quick glance at the screen - and the information might be missed entirely. On the other hand, a fast blinking rate can overload visual perception and cause discomfort.
In summary, I find that blinking elements often do more harm than good - they distract, tire the viewer, and contribute to cognitive overload.