SA Design Patterns

Reusable visualization strategies that combine multiple Situation Awareness (SA) principles into cohesive, real-world dashboard designs. Adapted from Endsley & Jones’ concept of Design Schemas in Designing for Situation Awareness, these patterns translate cognitive theory into practical, repeatable display structures for industrial operations.

Why SA Design Patterns Matter

SA Design Patterns are recurrent forms of layout, interaction, and information flow that embody effective ways to support perception, comprehension, and projection. They offer designers tested, repeatable solutions that reduce cognitive load while improving the operator’s ability to extract meaning from complex, dynamic information.

In environments with large volumes of time-sensitive operational data, these patterns provide structured ways to keep users oriented, informed, and in control — even as conditions shift rapidly. They distill proven design logic into usable building blocks for constructing high-clarity, goal-aligned displays.

For industrial dashboards, SA Design Patterns offer practical guidance for integrating multiple SA concepts into visualizations that remain actionable, flexible, and cognitively clear.

How Patterns Fit in the Framework

Within the Clear Picture SA Framework, design patterns are demonstrated through prototyped dashboards that show how multiple SA principles combine to support real-world operational awareness. These prototypes illustrate not a specific software tool, but a method of organizing information around user goals.

Demonstrations are developed using multiple platforms; however, the design logic behind the patterns remains platform-agnostic. Each pattern highlights how SA principles can be expressed across various visualization environments — including PI Vision, DCS HMIs, enterprise dashboards, or custom applications.

Patterns serve as illustrative models that show how SA principles interact to produce complete, cognitively aligned display strategies.

Current SA Design Patterns

• User-Driven & Flexible Displays
  Keep users in control while displays adapt to changing goals and priorities without breaking situational continuity.
• High-Level Overview & Drill-Down
  Maintain a continuous big-picture view while allowing detail on demand — linking global awareness with focused context.
• Multi-Asset Overview
  A single-screen comparative layout for rapidly scanning, comparing, and assessing the state of multiple assets at once.