Glossary · HMI, SCADA and operations
Operator guidance
Also known as: User guidance, Operator prompting
German: Bedienerführung
In HMI design, operator guidance is the set of HMI functions that lead operators through tasks and situations, such as step-by-step prompts, context-sensitive help, alarm help texts and indications of the next required action.
- HMI and SCADA
- Technical documentation
In one sentence
Operator guidance leads operators through tasks with HMI prompts, context help and next-step indications.
Example
During a format changeover, the HMI shows each step with a picture, waits for the operator's confirmation and checks the sensor signals before enabling the next step.
How it applies
- Engineering: Operator guidance is designed together with the control sequence: the controller knows the state and can prompt for the right action, block wrong ones and show why a step can't continue.
- Operation: Good guidance reduces training time and errors, especially for infrequent tasks such as cleaning or changeover.
- Documentation: This is where technical documentation and HMI design meet. Writers should author prompts and help texts with the same terminology and style as the Operating manual, and plan which information belongs on the HMI and which in the manual. Safety-relevant information stays in the instructions for use even when the HMI repeats it.
Operator guidance vs. instructions for use
Operator guidance on the HMI is context-sensitive and immediate. Instructions for use (IFU) are the complete, controlled information supplied with the product. Guidance supports the instructions; it doesn't replace them.