In the final year of my Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) studies, I undertook my graduation project.
The goal of this project was to deliver a digital interactive product while demonstrating my mastery of CMD competencies.
For this, I had the choice to either create my own project or work on one for a company.
I sought a challenging project with a strong focus on User Experience (UX).
This led me to collaborate with Total Productivity, a company that designs and builds production systems.
They emphasize the importance of finding the right balance between humans, machines, and methods.
Total Productivity needed a new design for a Human Machine Interface (HMI), a touchscreen used by operators to control production lines.
My goal was to create an HMI design for the production line of Brink, a client that manufactures towbars using systems built by Total Productivity.
The existing screens relied on outdated designs made by software engineers.
Total Productivity wanted a unique, future-ready design in their brand style, with clearer displays for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
Design Challenge
How can Brink's operators have an improved experience assembling towbars, with a Human Machine Interface that is intuitive and makes all available data easily accessible and understandable?
Approach
To understand the needs and challenges of the users, I conducted interviews with software developers from Total Productivity as well as maintenance technicians and process engineers from Brink.
Based on these insights, I created three personas and corresponding user journeys to guide the design process.
Based on the insights gathered, I created a requirements list to clearly define the project’s needs and objectives.
Persona Operator
For the ideation phase, I organized a How Might We session with employees from Total Productivity. This session generated three potential ideas, which I evaluated using a Harris Profile.
This process allowed me to select the best concept to move forward with.
I started by creating a sitemap to map out all the necessary screens.
This helped me structure my design process. From there, I began sketching, realizing early on that I needed to incorporate data visualization for the process engineer.
With the sketches in place, I moved on to building the first prototype, aiming to test it as soon as possible.
This allowed me to validate the concept, confirm that my user research was on track, and identify any missing elements requested by Total Productivity.
After incorporating feedback from the initial tests, I developed a second version of the prototype.
My goal for this iteration was to test it using a scenario-based approach.
First designs
Reflection
Through testing and iteration, I developed a strong final project that met the needs of both Total Productivity and Brink.
Unfortunately, I can’t showcase everything, as Brink requested certain elements, like photos of the machine, to remain confidential.
Designing an HMI means putting the control of an entire machine into the hands of the user.
It’s the interface where all warnings, alarms, and errors are displayed.
For users to trust it, the design must be clear and intuitive—confusion can lead to mistakes, disrupting production.
Beyond functionality, the HMI also serves as the machine’s “face.” A poorly designed or confusing interface can erode user confidence.
To ensure safety and prevent misuse, I incorporated a login system.
Only authorized personnel can manually operate the machine, leaving critical actions to the technical service team.
This approach minimizes operator errors and helps maintain uninterrupted production.
Operator main screen
Technicians main screen
Proces Engineer main screen
