Usability optimisation pays off
User-friendliness becomes a success factor
With every new control system, robotic solution and Human Machine Interface (HMI), expectations regarding user-friendliness – or usability – continue to rise. Wherever machines, software and people interact, the design of the interface determines efficiency and safety.
Usability matters in daily operations: clearly designed HMIs make processes safer, reduce operating errors and increase plant availability.
The growing demand for smart solutions resembling tools from the consumer market shows that simple, intuitive operation, clear user interfaces and reliable functionality are essential. Systems that are easy to operate reduce training effort, prevent operating errors and increase plant availability.
This makes good usability a genuine success factor:
- shorter onboarding times and reduced training requirements,
- fewer operating errors, accidents and downtime,
- higher process quality and occupational safety,
- greater employee acceptance,
- faster implementation of digital systems.
As industrial digitalisation advances, people are once again moving to the centre of system design. Networked plants, self-learning systems and remote control technologies can only realise their full potential when they are clearly structured and easy to operate.
New approaches from the gaming world provide valuable inspiration: colour-guided operating concepts, dynamic icons or adaptive displays that respond to user behaviour – all of which enhance efficiency and safety in production processes.
At SCHULZ, we support companies in approaching usability holistically – from the initial concept phase and HMI design through to integration into existing systems. Our end-to-end operating concepts range from MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) and SCADA systems down to field level.
The objective: technology that not only works, but inspires. Because every successful automation solution begins where people intuitively understand it.
Good usability is not just a design issue – it is a productivity driver: fewer errors, less downtime and greater acceptance.
Stefan Hitz, Authorised Officer and Head of Process Industry, SCHULZ Systemtechnik
