ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses why it is crucial to consider human-centered design as an essential aspect of digital twins. It addresses various issues ranging from larger themes about designing for humans to specific details in human–machine interaction (HMI) design for interactivity and visualization. These issues involve consideration of how humans work, think, and make decisions; the physical and mental capabilities; how they understand the machine and the overarching technological system; and how they interact with the world outside their limited work domain, all of which play a role in designing effective interfaces. This chapter essentially highlights four fundamental issues related to HMI design: (1) design for human users of digital twins; (2) representations of systems complexity in human-centered terms; (3) issues related to interaction design; and (4) issues related to Information design. This chapter also discusses how the interface designer can address each of these concerns during any human-centered design process for HMI design for digital twins. A case study of a digital twin interface designed for Vertical Machining Centre machines has been used throughout the chapter to illustrate the issues and solutions. This chapter concludes with challenges related to design for accessibility, learnability, safety, and well-being of the users in relation to human-centered design for digital twins.
