A Study Of How Better Hmi Systems Lead To Better Decision Making In Organisations

When we look at the workplace today we see many changes in the way people get things done. Tasks are much more automated now and the idea is about generating more productivity by doing smart work instead of hard work. The role of the human worker has changed exponentially as well with more and more delegation of tasks onto machines than actual manual labour. It's hard to argue that most production environments have become more efficient and more productive as a result of automation.

With these changes in reality, another aspect surfaces to the fore, that bids us to study and innovate new and improved means to use these machines. This interaction, facilitated by HMI systems is in need of overhauling to ensure that poorly designed interfaces do not hinder the flow of productive work. In short, the conclusion derived from the past few decades of technological revolution is that better HMIs lead to better decision making in organisations which finally lead to better profits.

Poorly designed HMI systems have been cited as a cause of unnecessary downtime, workplace accidents, and numerous psychosocial and physical disorders for machine operators and others who spend a significant amount of time using an HMI. You will also infer that a poor functioning HMI can even lead to industrial accidents which may not only affect the organisation and its workers but also the wider community and the environment. These are risks that no manager or enterprise owner will be willing to take.

When you look into HMI systems that can be considered to be poorly designed, you will find some common, recurring issues with most of them. With automation increasing demands on stamina, pace of work and time pressure, HMIs can create issues with mental stress and strain. These issues create the possibility of human errors and misjudgements, which eventually lead to human errors and increased downtime. Then there are errors that are simply caused by the system being too complicated to be properly handled by the users.

Another important feature that sadly is missing but should be present in modern HMI systems is information management. Cutting edge decision making is a process that runs solely on the availability of information. The computing system being used in any organisation or factory floor should be versatile enough to provide the right data to the right people at the right time. Custom designed HMIs prove to be a better option in this regard as they allow managers to define information requirements and have the interface structured around their specific needs.

Interestingly, research shows that the majority of problems are caused by human error, but not entirely because of mental and physical fatigue. More often, errors are caused by poor decision-making related to the way that information is processed. But if the above issues are resolved, we can expect HMI systems to be much smarter and more conducive to better decision making. If you want to know more about these systems, feel free to visit Comfiletech.com.

About The Author

Timothy Parker is a computing technology expert who believes touchscreen monitors and HMI to be the epitome of convenience and versatility. He recommends Comfiletech.com as the name to bank upon for all your touch panel PC requirements.