From the earliest stone tools to modern industrial control rooms, humans have always looked for more efficient ways to interact with the systems around them. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is no different — it has been evolving continuously alongside those ambitions.

SCADA refers to any software that provides remote access to process data in real time, using the necessary communication tools with hardware to configure, monitor, and control the subsystems of a smart building or industrial plant. Any system oriented toward that goal — regardless of complexity — falls under the broader category of HMI (Human-Machine Interface).

Key Objectives of SCADA Systems

1. Economy: Monitoring an installation from the control room is far more practical than dispatching an operator to the field for every check.
2. Accessibility: Operating parameters can be adjusted in a single click.
3. Maintenance: The application can be programmed to alert operators when scheduled service dates are approaching or when faults are detected.
4. Management: All collected data can be analyzed through statistical tools, charts, and tabulated values — giving operators the clearest possible picture of system performance.
5. Connectivity: Open systems are the standard. Well-documented communication protocols enable interoperability between equipment from different vendors and eliminate information gaps that could cause operational or security failures.
6. Flexibility: Changes to the visualization system require no physical rewiring or hardware replacement, so modifications cost far less in time and resources.

Modern computers — with their graphical displays and color-coded dashboards — have largely replaced the sprawling panels of cables and indicator lights that once defined industrial control. But one challenge persists: how do you present all of that information without overwhelming or fatiguing the operator?

HMI SCADA interface in an industrial control room.

User Experience

Operators who struggle to do their jobs effectively are often dealing with software they don't fully understand — not a lack of skill. The interface is the problem, not the person. User experience is everything.

Embedding classic, user-centered design principles into SCADA systems produces software that is genuinely easy to use. Don Norman coined the term user experience (UX) in 1993 for his group at Apple Computer, though the field itself is older than the term [3].

UX is simply how people feel when they use a product or service — most often a website or application. Every human-object interaction carries a UX dimension, but in practice, UX professionals focus on the relationship between people and computer-based products: interfaces, applications, and systems [4].

The reason technology giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft have invested heavily in UX is straightforward: the research shows clear financial returns. A 2015 study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by the Design Management Institute (DMI) found that:

"Over the past ten years, design-led companies have maintained a significant market advantage, outperforming the S&P by an extraordinary 211%." — DMI, 2015

With creativity and the right methodology, the deep body of UX knowledge from the commercial world can be applied to the demanding environment of industrial automation. One such methodology is Design Thinking — a structured approach that teaches management teams to work with design-oriented problem-solving processes.

Design Thinking models vary, typically spanning three to seven phases, but they all share the same core principles — first described by Nobel laureate Herbert Simon in The Sciences of the Artificial (1996). The five-stage model developed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school) is the most widely taught and applied:

• Empathize with your users.
• Define their needs, their problems, and your insights.
• Ideate by challenging assumptions and generating innovative solution concepts.
• Prototype to start building those solutions.
• Test the solutions.

Design Thinking is an iterative, non-linear process.

Essential Design Principles

Effective communication between development and design teams is fundamental to building interfaces that operators can actually use. Usability combined with sound design principles produces intuitive software — and software that genuinely serves the people who depend on it.

Gestalt theory — or the psychology of form — emerged in Germany around 1920. Gestalt means "form" or "shape" in German, and its principles address how humans perceive visual information [2][5]. The most relevant ones for SCADA interface design are:

• Similarity: Elements that share visual characteristics — color, shape, or concept — are perceived as related.
• Continuity: Elements that follow a pattern or direction are grouped together, even when interrupted.
• Closure: The mind naturally completes incomplete shapes, seeking the most organized interpretation possible.
• Proximity: Elements positioned close together are perceived as a single unit, distinct from those farther away.
• Figure and Ground: The brain cannot interpret an object as both figure and background simultaneously. The figure stands out in relation to surrounding elements; the ground is everything else.
• Symmetry and Order: Ambiguous stimuli are interpreted in the simplest way possible — elements are organized into forms that are as symmetrical, regular, and stable as can be.
• Simplicity: People naturally organize their perceptual field into the simplest, most regular patterns available.
• Past Experience: We perceive the world through the lens of what we already know.

Applying these design and usability principles from the start gives SCADA engineers a system that is not only easier to build but easier to extend. A well-structured navigation architecture can absorb new modules and features without forcing a redesign — keeping pace with the latest advances in smart building automation while leaving room for whatever comes next.

Roselia Ruiz Graphic Designer — rruiz@innotica.net — LinkedIn

References

1. Designing Intuitive SCADA Systems / 7 Essential SCADA Design Components to Maximize Plant Productivity — Vertech
2. Principios y Leyes de la Gestalt en el Diseño Gráfico — Gtech Design
3. A 100-Year View of User Experience — Nielsen Norman Group
4. The Basics of User Experience Design — Interaction Design Foundation
5. La teoría Gestalt aplicada al mundo del diseño — Graffica
6. Aquilino Rodríguez Penin. Sistemas SCADA, 2nd ed., 2007.