Usability and user experience of process control systems and the feeling of control

SUMMARY This article explores the ease of use, usability and user experience particularly in terms of control systems. As a core starting point for control system development, we describe the content and nature of the production work as well as the user experience with process control. We also present the feeling of control in user organizations as a target for system development. Usability is described from two perspectives: what the system offers its users, and how these functionalities are realized. We propose a comprehensive approach to the development and design of control systems, whereby usability methods are integrated into normal development and engineering operations. Our vision of the future is joint human/automation intelligence, which refers to smooth and conversational interaction between the organization and the system.