When an Operator Couldn't Explain
What They Were Seeing
How might the system direct operator attention instead of relying on operators to constantly search for what went wrong?
About the project
This project involved designing a command-and-control system for tunnel control rooms. Due to confidentiality restrictions, actual product screens cannot be shown. All visuals are conceptual representations.
The Operator Was Still the One Searching
During our first visit to a tunnel control room, we opened the existing alert screen and asked an operator to explain what they were seeing.
They couldn't.
In practice, operators rarely used the screen. Instead, they continuously scanned camera feeds, looking for something unusual and investigating manually when something caught their attention.
The system had plenty of information. But operators were still the ones searching for problems.
More Information Wasn't the Answer
Our first design preserved many of the capabilities available in the existing control system.
But when we reviewed it with operators and shift supervisors, many of them simply weren't relevant to their workflow.
More capabilities weren't creating more control. They were creating more things operators had to interpret.
So we changed the question:
What can the system show? → What does the operator need to know to make the next decision?
What can the system show?
What does the operator need to know to make the next decision?
One Place for Everything That Requires Attention
A single operational view across all tunnels — designed around attention rather than system boundaries.
01
One Operational Picture
From separate tunnel systems to one network-wide view
Before, each tunnel was managed through a separate system. We created a single operational layer that shows the status of all tunnels at once, while still allowing operators to drill into a specific tunnel when needed.
02
Make Urgency Understandable
From alert overload to clear priorities
Repeated alerts were grouped instead of competing for attention individually. Each alert surfaced the context needed to understand what happened, where it happened, and how urgent it might be — while leaving the final judgment to the operator.
Grouped alerts
Stopped vecicle
10
10 similar alerts are shown as one.
Direction
SOUTH
Direction is shown clearly so the operator doesn't need to mentally calculate it.
03
Preserve Operational Continuity
The shift changes. The situation doesn't.
A control room operates 24/7, but the people operating it change throughout the day. We designed the experience so operational context wouldn't disappear at every shift change.
Context preserved
Shift A
09:10
Vehicle checked
09:15
Smoke alert investigated
09:18
Follow-up required
open
Shift B
09:18
Follow-up required
open
The system doesn’t make the decision for the operator.
It makes the right context easier to see.
From Ignored to Useful
At the beginning
Researcher:
"Can you explain what you're seeing?"
Operator:
"I can't."
After the redesign:
A Screen They Could See Themselves Using
What I Took Away
I started by asking how to organize everything the system could show.
I ended up asking what the operator actually needed to see.