Eddie Bryce, Senior Systems Engineer at ITI Group, shares his expert advice for Designing Dashboards to instantly transform data into actionable insights:

 

In the data-rich world of industrial automation, turning vast streams of operational data into actionable insights is not just important—it’s essential. Teams need intuitive interfaces to that data, visualising complex data in ways that are easy to digest and act on.

For me as a real time systems specialist, AVEVA PI Vision isn’t just another tool; it’s the tool. It stands out as a versatile real-time data visualisation powerhouse, supporting everyone from engineers to executives.

The danger is that we just “build a dashboard” for each problem by throwing data at the canvas and seeing what sticks. Let’s dive into how you can design PI Vision dashboards that don’t just look good, but genuinely drive smarter decisions and operational excellence.

 

1. Understand Your Audience and Prioritise Key Information

When designing dashboards, one size doesn’t fit all. It’s crucial to understand the unique needs of your users.

For example, in an oil and gas context:

• Hydrocarbon Accounting teams live and breathe data, often extracting it through the PI Datalink add-in to build their beloved spreadsheets. They’re focused on end-of-day summaries, fixed totals and routine analysis of historic data, so their dashboards should deliver concise, accurate data without any unnecessary frills.
• On the other hand, Production Performance, Process, and Rotating Equipment teams crave real-time insights. They rely on dashboards with trend charts, multistate indicators, and gauges to monitor operations and react quickly to changes. Here, visuals play a pivotal role in helping them stay ahead of the curve.

Understanding your audience’s specific needs allows you to design dashboards that serve their purpose effectively and efficiently.

 

2. Leverage the Power of PI Asset Framework (AF)

If PI Vision is the heart, then PI Asset Framework (AF) is the brain behind effective dashboards. A well-structured PI AF structure brings order to data, making it easy to navigate and manage.

• Drag-and-Drop Simplicity: A properly configured AF hierarchy transforms dashboard creation into an intuitive process. Simply drag and drop assets onto the canvas, and you’re halfway there.
• Prebuilt Templates: Standardised templates help maintain consistency while adhering to company branding and accessibility standards. They’re especially handy for quickly adding new assets that mirror existing ones.

PI AF allows you to go beyond simply trending your data and start running calculations on top of it, measuring KPIs and detecting deviations automatically, rather than relying on the user to spot every issue by staring at trends.

PI AF isn’t just a backend tool—it’s a game-changer that simplifies and enhances dashboard design, making data truly work for you.

 

3. Choose the Right Visualisation

The right visualisation makes all the difference. PI Vision offers a robust selection of tools to transform raw data into actionable insights:

• Trend Charts: Perfect for tracking time-series data and spotting patterns.
• Gauges: Compare real-time values against thresholds to quickly assess performance.
• Bar Charts: Compare consumption or performance across multiple assets.
• Multistate Symbols: Provide dynamic visual cues, changing colour based on conditions for quick anomaly detection. This includes AVEVA’s new Time Series Table symbol in PI Vision 2024!

Avoid the temptation to throw all your data onto trends and leave it up to the end user to spot issues. Imagine that the next user after you has never seen the data before – how can you make the data instantly meaningful, and avoid data clutter?

For more advanced unique cases, ITI Group’s PI VisionEx suite expands the toolbox, enabling users to write data back to PI and visualise data in new ways.

 

4. Enhance User Engagement with Interactivity

Interactivity takes dashboards from static to dynamic, adding insights and increasing engagement:

• Adhoc Trends: Popup trends let users dive deeper into data without cluttering the main display, offering quick, focused analysis.
• Collections in AF Templates: Apply Collections to replicate visuals from similar assets automatically, simplifying monitoring.
• Context Switching: Don’t create ten different displays for monitoring one type of asset. With a simple dropdown selection, you can transform an entire display to show data for any asset in your fleet. It’s seamless, powerful, and incredibly efficient.

Interactive features make dashboards more interactive and user-friendly, helping users engage with their data more meaningfully.

 

5. Prioritise Accessibility and User Experience

Dashboards must be inclusive, intuitive, and adaptable to meet the needs of diverse users.

• AF-Based Navigation: Broken links in dashboards are a pain – AF has several features you can use to avoid this ever happening. Updates to labels or URLs can automatically propagate across all dashboards, ensuring consistency and reducing development time.
• Traffic Light Blindness: Only highlight what needs attention. Don’t rely on green to indicate “all is well”: focus on subdued visuals for normal status and bold colours for issues.
• Clutter-Free Design: ‘White space’ can help focus attention, but user preferences vary. Strike a balance based on feedback to keep dashboards functional and visually appealing.

Good design goes beyond aesthetics; it ensures everyone can effectively use the dashboard, regardless of their role or ability.

 

6. Iterate for Continuous Improvement

No dashboard is perfect on the first go. The best designs evolve through feedback and ongoing refinement.

• Test with Real Users: Start peer reviews as early as possible, gathering insights from operators and engineers. Their input will help fine-tune the design for practical use.
• Stay Aligned with Client Vision: Creativity is important, but it should always align with the client’s goals. Regular check-ins keep the design on track and ensure it meets their expectations.

Iteration isn’t just a process; it’s a mindset that ensures your dashboards remain relevant, effective, and user-focused.

 

By embracing these best practices, you’ll unlock the full potential of AVEVA PI Vision dashboards. Whether it’s tailoring designs for specific user groups, leveraging PI AF for streamlined data management, or enhancing interactivity and accessibility, these strategies will help you transform data into actionable insights. Ultimately, you’ll empower your teams to make smarter decisions, boosting operational excellence and driving real results.