Damen wins UX Design Award for Human Machine Interface for Tugs
Damen Shipyards Group has won an award for the Human Machine Interface that it has been developing over the past two years for its Next Generation Tug Series. The UX Design Awards are intended to honour innovative solutions that add value to applications, technologies and services through positive experiences, thereby strengthening people's abilities, enabling novel applications and facilitating access to new fields of knowledge.
The Human Machine Interface (HMI) developed by Damen in partnership with VanBerlo has won a Product 2019 Award. The system was created in close consultation with captains and chief engineers to improve the safety and efficiency of Damen’s tugs by providing the crew with the information needed to control and operate the vessel in a format that is as easy to use as a mobile device.
“During operations, decision making by the crew has to be quick, despite them being under pressure, so any information has to be clear and relevant to each particular stage of the operation,” explains Damen’s Jeffrey Jacobs, Technical Manager Tugs. “At the same time the ease of operating the system requires an intuitive and simple interaction. The HMI covers the full integrated class-approved Alarm, Monitoring and Control system and can be accessed from the wheelhouse control station, on the main deck and in the switchboard rooms of the tugs. The system is also future-ready having been designed to accept additional applications on multiple devices at a later stage.”
The #UXDA19 expert jury nominated 51 projects from over 20 countries to participate in the UX Design Awards 2019. From those it selected ten winners based in two days of thorough testing and intensive deliberation. In making the award to Damen, the jury stated that: “the Tugboat Alarm, Monitoring and Control System stands out for its innovative visual design and user-centered development process, especially in the context of the maritime industry. The system balances visual material and data well. Being both context and role-sensitive, it is a flawless example of a tailor-made approach that meets the requirements of different user groups, including captains and engineers.”
The awards will be presented during a gala ceremony taking place at the global technology show IFA in Berlin on 6 September 2019. Damen will also be demonstrating the system to the public as part of a special exhibition at the show.
Users worldwide now have the opportunity to vote for their favorite solutions. Voting for the audience prize “UX Design Award | Public Choice” opened on 20 August and continues until 31 October 2019 on the UX Design Awards website: https://www.ux-design-awards.com/en/teilnehmer/2019. The winner of the audience prize will be announced in November 2019.
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating (and covered) drydocks, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.
