Towards integral human-machine system conception: from automation design to usability concerns

The purpose of this communication is to show an additional advantage of the well known guide for start and stop modes, GEMMA, that should motivate its use as well as to introduce the consideration of the human operator as an integral part of the automation procedure. The inclusion of the human operator as well as his interplay with the automation device needs some guidelines that can be drawn from joining the GEMMA structured approach and some concepts borrowed from cognitive ergonomic theory and human-computer interaction. Finally, this paper shows some examples of humanmachine interfaces (industrial panel, interface display screen).Postprint (published version

Ergonomic design applied in a sugar mill interface

In tasks requiring human supervision in an industrial control room there are applied generic disciplines like automatic control and engineering systems. From the point of view of the human computer interaction applied to these disciplines it is necessary to add usability engineering and cognitive ergonomics. This integrated framework is an example of human-centred design on automation systems. The main goal of this work is the application of a cognitive ergonomic guideline for supervisory control in order to improve the efficiency of a sugar mill interface design.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

The use of role playing in engineering curricula: a case study in human-automation systems

This communication presents a collaborative experience between four Spanish centers: the School of Engineering (ETSE) and the Sports Services Area (SAF) both from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) jointly with two centers of the Technical University of Catalonia, the high school from Vilanova i la Geltru (EPSEVG) and the high school in Terrassa (ETSEIAT). The idea behind this collaboration is to explore the possibility of role engineering education and project development for engineering students. The basic principle of such projects is the identification of the corresponding roles associated with the different parts that can be found on current social/industrial activity.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

The use of role playing in human automation systems

This communication presents a collaborative experience between four Spanish centers: the School of Engineering (ETSE) and the Sports Services Area (SAF) both from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) jointly with two centers of the Technical University of Catalonia, the higher school from Vilanova i la Geltru (EPSEVG) and the higher school in Terrassa (ETSEIAT). The idea behind this collaboration is to explore the possibility of role engineering education and project development for engineering students. The basic principle of such projects is the identification of the corresponding roles associated with the different parts that can be found on current social/industrial activity.Postprint (published version

Design and evaluation of a graphical user interface for facilitating expert knowledge transfer: a teleoperation case study

Nowadays, teleoperation systems are increasingly used for the training of specific skills to carry out complex tasks in dangerous environments. One of the challenges of these systems is to ensure that the time it takes for users to acquire these skills is as short as possible. For this, the user interface must be intuitive and easy to use. This document describes the design and evaluation of a graphical user interface so that a non-expert user could use a teleoperated system intuitively and without excessive training time. To achieve our goal, we use a user-centered design process model. To evaluate the interface, we use our own methodology and the results allow improving its usability.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Human Factors Considerations in System Design

Human factors considerations in systems design was examined. Human factors in automated command and control, in the efficiency of the human computer interface and system effectiveness are outlined. The following topics are discussed: human factors aspects of control room design; design of interactive systems; human computer dialogue, interaction tasks and techniques; guidelines on ergonomic aspects of control rooms and highly automated environments; system engineering for control by humans; conceptual models of information processing; information display and interaction in real time environments