Track: Masters Thesis Competition

Abstract

Control rooms are involved with human-computer, human-human and human-machine interactions which are often more complex and considered more sociotechnical systems. In SLDC, State Load & despatch Centre, control rooms are meant for handling crucial information regarding transmission, generation, distribution of power flow, major to remote substations across the state and connected to the central Power Grid system of the country. They handle activities ranging from day to day normal transmissions, general operations and distributions, synchronization and optimisation of the system, play significant role in balancing frequency and also handle disastrous situations. They also predict and plan distribution a year before based on the previous year demand and supply graphs. It includes long shift hours, extremely stressful tasks and efficient decision making process for safe and sustainable operational flow. 

An “operator-first” approach towards the designing of interfaces used in control rooms has been adopted by HFEL (human factors and ergonomics literature) and by many other industrial standards (ISO 11064, EEMUA 201, etc.), where the designing of interfaces, displays and control room design considered from users perspective, with the operator/user being the starting point. Similarly in SLDC, information gathered through implemented SCADA system, provides System Overview for easy operation and control through Barco Display Screen.

In this work, the first step was to understand all the sections and field values displayed in the Barco’s System Overview screen & to understand control and decision making process. The second step was to form interface using Drury’s matrix analysis for all the different types of tasks performed by the user to balance the system. The existing display guidelines that are followed while an interface is designed and how these guidelines align with accessibility of control room’s interfaces for effective working conditions. 

This was followed by a user research conducted on all the users who are working in shifts as well as other officers who monitor Barco displays for the current overall positioning of their company. The results of the research were then discussed and presented to the officials and their insights were taken into consideration while designing new displays. It was observed that the existing display designs increased the cognitive load and stress as it has increases the random eye movement to locate desired data [derived from the direct observation during user study]. Connected data are located far away and there is no chunking of data followed as per their priority, frequency and sequence of use.

All these insights helped in finding out and defining the problems. After that a brief user behaviour and task analysis study was conducted during the Practical training sessions, observing few processes and methods closely. This leads various possibility of information layout designing concept generations. Validation of concept was done after comparing them with the existing screen task flow analysis. The conclusion of whole work study is that there is extreme need of redesigning of the existing layout design changes required of the Barco display interfaces that include proper segregation, chunking, sequencing, and data positioning on the screen with the user centric layouts.