Mastering The Fire
CLIENT: Ferrara Candy Company is a manufacturer owned by Ferrero Group. The plant where the project was implemented produces all the Candy Corn consumed in the U.S.A. along with other 200 varieties of candy.
RESPONSIBILITIES: User Research and Interface Design.
TEAM: Quimicalderas is the main integrator of Honeywell’s SLATE technology in Mexico. I was the only designer on the team.
Design for Combustion Control
Goal
To reduce risks and improve efficiency in the client’s steam production system, integrating automated features using Honeywell’s latest technology for combustion control.
Interviews
I first interviewed two operators and their supervisor about what was most important for them to know about the steam system. These interviews took place in the actual boiler room, so I could see how they used to interact with the equipment and the circumstances in which they used to do it.
Participant Observations
One of the main takeaways from participant observations was that it was a noisy place with many things happening, and it would have been somehow hard for them to look for tiny details on a screen while wearing personal protective equipment.
Testing
User Interface
The proposed solution included a visual replica of the physical system. This would allow the operators to rely on recognition rather than recall, so it would be easy for them to get information quickly, and better understand the possible actions to take.
It also integrated the standard representations of industrial aspects, like the yellow line indicating a gas line.
The diagrams were created as a visual representation of what is going on inside the equipment, so the operator can have a view of what is going on inside, while in the real world he can not see it.
Results
The gas consumption was reduced by more than half. The efficiency allowed to keep running only one of the two boilers usually used. Updated previous knob-and-needles style dashboard to a touchscreen display. Better decisions are now made by operators and supervisors, as more information is provided more quickly and clearly.