The company's core competences are the development of diagnostic systems for rail traffic and the associated telecommunications networks and control centers, amongst others the software CMS AT (Central Monitoring Solution - Advanced Technology). As a system vendor and service provider, our client sets standards in terms of performance and innovation. To voestalpine SIGNALING Siershahn's clients count international railroad companies as the Deutsche Bahn, the Spanish Renfe, the Frensh SNCF and various others.

The software is running in control centers to monitor and control trains and infrastructure. Nowadays modern rail traffic as a complex system has to face permanent stress of rolling stock and fixed assets.

This affords the continuous and reliable surveillance of components and systems in real time, as well as the analysis, interpretation and central display of all security-relevant data.

Railroad companies have to meet the challenge of different technical standards, heterogeneous system environments, missing interfaces and differentiated system-interpretations.

The CMS AT integrates different network components into a consistent interface and thus helps to master those.

In a first step giinco organized a workshop, to develop mandatory specifications in cooperation with the client, to provide a basis for the detailed conception. This workshop was also held to help us understanding the main features of the unusual application. Target specifications included for example: the predefinition of a dark user interface, large and distinct buttons, die use of icons, sound effects as user guidance as well as clear design elements.

In a second step we developed wireframes (functions drafts). Within this task the placement of all basic elements and functions has been checked and optimized for usability of the software and flexibility of the possible designs for different modules.

Start of the design phase was the creation of cross program graphical user interface (GUI) elements. Particular attention was on establishing a symbiosis of corporate design, brand strategies and usability.

Integrated part of the overall design was amongst others the coloring, development of tools, title bars, menus, toolbars, status bars and content windows. The GUI provided the basis for the corporate software design and will be used for all applications in the future.

In addition giinco developed a customized icon set, to enhance the general usability. Clear stylistic elements allow the continuous refinement of further icons for upcoming program versions.