Managing screen content in an operations center

Screens in an Operations Center and their management

We have worked in many operations centers, and they are usually bedecked with large and small screens. Everything from display walls with 24 screens to personal work modules which have a couple of big screens on the wall in addition to 2-5 regular screens on the desk. There are many overlapping reasons for this proliferation of displays

• There is a lot of information to be visualized at the same time
• The need for a “work area” sitting alongside a “monitoring area" on the same set of screens
• Applications that require massive screen real-estates to be effective; detailed models and wide-ranging dashboards
• The opportunity for colleagues to collaborate and stay informed by "casting a glance" over the screens

The Challenge

The content on these screens should be managed properly. Without a clear structure and tools to help they quickly become too static or a chaotic mess. Static layouts are not very engaging and require new screens if you wish to display more information, unplanned chaos leads to uncertainty for the user. Our customer feedback shows that good screen information management leads to operational & HSE gains through improved situational awareness. As a result, it is important to think about:

1. keeping the important information front and center to avoid user fatigue. It takes time and movement to scan across screens looking for information
2. which information (& underlying software) should be visible at all times
3. knowing how the user best utilizes the information in the software and how that software manifests on the display (e.g. vertical vs. horizontally aligned applications)
4. be able to divide available screen areas into larger or smaller areas as needed and practical for the information required, display size & resolution
5. many of these displays can be made interactive, so they can be used for collaboration as well. Managing this multi-role capability provides better value for money
6. if the screens have been used interactively you need to quickly and easily return them to their more passive role

The Solution

Operations centers have chosen to use Enify as a screen management tool for their operations. They provide the following capability:

1. An administration user has set up different screen layouts, i.e. they have divided the available screens into a number of different layouts, based on the user's need to view different information and applications.
   The screens are usually divided into focus areas, support info and "always available" applications (Teams, outlook etc).
   
   
2. They use Enify's "my work" area to easily get an overview and manage available screens, layouts, and content.

Customer value

1. It is useful to divide screens so that the information is presented in a form that makes it easy for users to consume it
2. It's cost-effective to be able to divide a screen into multiple areas so users can look at more than one thing at a time; we call this “eyeball integration”.
3. There is value in training a team to know their key information in a consistent and convenient place on their screens.
4. Creating a more dynamic space using existing software capability and being able to jump between them as needed. The displays become more reactive to the needs of the user and they can update them without calling in the IT and AV professionals.
5. Being able to multi-role a screen’s use as a passive information display and as an interactive collaborative tool maximizes the investment in the screen