User-centered process
Objective
Design intuitive HMI systems for industrial weighing and product inspection applications. Create interfaces that reduce training time, increase operational efficiency, and ensure compliance with international standards across Food & Beverage, Dairy, Cosmetics, Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals industries.
Approach
Led with user-centered design principles grounded in usability engineering. Conducted systematic field studies, stakeholder workshops, and contextual inquiry to understand real-world usage contexts. Applied iterative design methodology from paper prototypes through wireframes to validated UI designs.
Activities included comprehensive user needs analysis, regulatory requirement mapping, device compatibility assessment, and multi-modal input design for touchscreens, hardkey interfaces, and desktop systems with mouse and keyboard.
Key design and product moves
- Unified interface architecture supporting diverse industrial devices from tiny displays to desktop-sized panels.
- Clear infographics and data visualizations reduced to essential, interpretable elements.
- Global design system extending corporate design with functional signal colors for status and interaction cues.
- Modular and scalable components ensuring regulatory compliance while maintaining flexibility.
- Multi-factor trend displays simplified into color-coded directional arrows for quick process assessment.
- Abstract visualizations like pulsating dots for system activity recognition and threshold violation alerts.
Challenges & solutions
Balancing regulatory requirements with user experience across heterogeneous environments. Addressed through systematic design guardrails, clear functional component definitions, and extensive user testing across different industrial contexts and device configurations.
Outcome
A cohesive HMI system enabling immediate recognition of component function and status. The interface reduces cognitive overload through clear visual hierarchy, supports quick information intake, and maintains consistency across all applications while adapting to various device types and input methods.
