Why HMI Design Matters
The human-machine interface is the operator window into the process. Poor HMI design contributes to operator errors, slow abnormal situation response, and alarm floods that overwhelm attention. Studies by the EPRI and the Abnormal Situation Management Consortium estimate that 40-70% of industrial incidents involve operator error, and poor display design is a leading contributor. High-performance HMI methodology, codified in ISA-101 and EEMUA 191, addresses this directly by shifting from colorful artistic displays to information-dense context-rich low-clutter displays optimized for rapid anomaly detection.