Elena is a control room supervisor for a metropolitan smart-grid energy network, a high-stakes role with extreme cognitive demands during severe weather events. She must simultaneously monitor real-time power flow telemetry across multiple high-voltage distribution lines, track live weather radar overlays, manage prioritized alarm logs from automated substations, coordinate radio dispatch communications with field crews repairing damaged infrastructure, and manually input safety-isolation overrides into a legacy command-line SCADA database. During storm-related grid disruptions, Elena is prone to severe cognitive fatigue, acutely aware that a single overlooked telemetry surge or miscommunicated repair coordinate could cause widespread blackouts or endanger field technician lives.
Discuss how a cognitive human-factors psychologist could design Elena's control-room workstation and digital interfaces to mitigate the risk of cognitive overload.
