User Interface of Simulation of the 

Shipbuilding Operations

Guodong Shao

Charles McLean

Swee Leong

NISTIR 7320
 

NISTIR 7320

User Interface of Simulation of the 

Shipbuilding Operations

Guodong Shao 

Charles McLean 

Swee Leong

Manufacturing Systems Integration Division 

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory 

May 2006

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary 

TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION 

Robert Cresanti, Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY 

William Jeffrey, Director 
1

USER INTERFACE OF SIMULATION OF THE SHIPBUILDING OPERATIONS 

 

Guodong Shao 

Charles McLean 

Swee Leong 

Manufacturing Simulation and Modeling Group 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 

100 Bureau Drive, MS 8260 

Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, U.S.A. 

ABSTRACT 

This paper discusses the development of the user interface for a simulation of the 

shipbuilding operations. It presents an overview of a generic simulation of shipbuilding 

operations, the simulation system's user profiles, and the user interface screen designs. 

The simulation model of the shipbuilding operations can be used as a tool to analyze the 

schedule impact of new workload, evaluate production scenarios, and identify resource 

problems. The animated user interface display allows the users to use interactively the 

simulation model to evaluate and analyze the production process model of the shipyard, 

to view and manipulate the production data. The simulation user interface shows 

expected results of inserting new technologies or equipment into the shipyard, 

particularly with respect to operating costs and schedule impact. 

KEY WORDS 

User interface design, Shipbuilding operations, Manufacturing simulation 

DISCLAIMER 

No approval or endorsement of any commercial product by the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology is intended or implied. The work described was funded by the 

United States Government and is not subject to copyright. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Work described in this paper was sponsored by the National Shipbuilding Research 

Program (NSRP) Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise (ASE) and the NIST Systems 

Integration for Manufacturing Applications (SIMA) Program. 

1 INTRODUCTION 

This paper discusses a user interface for the shipbuilding manufacturing simulation 

system. The simulation system was used to simulate shipbuilding operations and 

manipulate required data. The dynamically displayed user interface allows the user to use 
2

the simulation model interactively to evaluate and analyze the production process model 

of the shipyard. Scientists and engineers working on the Manufacturing Interoperability 

Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) performed the 

research presented in this paper. 

The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) is a program to achieve significant 

technology and process improvements in the U.S. shipbuilding industry. NRSP is being 

carried out as collaboration among U.S. shipyards, government, industry, and academia. 

The Shipyard Production Process Technologies is a major initiative that addresses all 

production processes used to transform raw material, components, and equipment into 

completed products (NSRP 2001). The simulation of shipbuilding operations presented in 

this paper was carried out as part of this initiative. 

The objective of the simulation model for shipbuilding operations is to provide data to 

support shipyard management decisions including (McLean and Shao 2001): 

• Analysis of schedule impact due to additional projects with differing production 

scenarios 

• Identification of labor resource conflicts by craft and skill level 

• Analysis of cost and effects of exercising overtime, new hire, and/or 

subcontractor to cover labor shortages 

• Analysis of cost tradeoffs of holding over employees without work, versus layoff, rehires, and new hires 

• Prediction of optimum staffing levels-based sales and labor demand forecasts 

• Demonstration of the expected results of inserting new technology or equipment 

into a shipyard, particularly with respect to operating costs and schedule impact 

• Visual display of work location, resources, and identification resource constraints 

and conflicts between competing jobs (including cranes and forklifts) 

• The archive of simulation runs as files to preserve historical data. 

2 DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE OVERVIEW 

The development software used to implement the simulation system in this paper is 

ProModel 6.0. ProModel is a PC-based discrete event simulation software that can be 

used for evaluating, planning, or re-designing manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics 

systems. The simulation software allows users to build a graphical representation of an 

application system and test it in a variety of scenarios to provide better solution for the 

problems in the organization. The graphical animation and reports are useful tools for 

visualizing, understanding, and improving the real system. The development simulator 

includes functions for developing and executing the simulation models. A separate 

graphics library was used to generate graphical displays. A Microsoft COM interface is 

included to allow the simulator to execute external code (ProModel 1996). 
3

3 USER PROFILE OF THE SHIPBUILDING SIMULAITON 

The potential users of this simulation system are from several categories. Understanding 

the intended user, their tasks and needs, the organization where they work, and the 

environment where the system may be used helps the design of the user interface. The 

potential users are identified as follows: 

• Simulation Analyst: They are the core users of the system. They are responsible 

for executing the model and analyzing the simulation results on a daily basis. 

They are perhaps involved in the system development process from the beginning. 

They understand the problem, are the source of some requirements assumptions 

for the system, and might help in the data collection. They can verify the model 

according to each scenario, help to make the decisions concerning the length of 

the simulation run, the number of runs needed, and the initial conditions. They 

are the knowledgeable intermittent users of the simulation system and might 

become expert frequent users after using the simulation for a period of time. The 

Simulation Analyst may have an IT and manufacturing background in education 

or in working experience. 

• Process Engineer: They are responsible for producing the process plan for all 

operations of the shipbuilding. They are responsible for improving manufacturing 

capabilities of the shipbuilding process, providing manufacturing quality 

engineering services to ensure current new products are produced at the highest 

level of quality, as economically, efficiently, and safely as possible. They are 

responsible for the "cradle to grave" process of a job. They provide the time 

study and determine rules for the simulation. They are the knowledgeable 

intermittent users. 

• Scheduler: They are responsible for producing and managing the overall shipyard 

schedules. In the simplest case, these persons ultimately make all changes to the 

schedule. They are the knowledgeable intermittent users. 

• Area Supervisor: They are responsible for managing production operations in 

different areas of the shipyard. They might use the simulator to view simulation 

displays, track progress, and identify potential problems (e.g., expected job 

delays). In circumstances where problems are detected, the simulator’s what-if 

capabilities can be used to analyze different options, and make suggestions to the 

scheduler. They may be categorized as knowledgeable intermittent users. 

• Project Manager: They are responsible for managing a particular set of jobs. 

They might use the simulator in the same ways as area supervisors. They are 

experienced in managing personnel resources to keep a project moving to 

completion, are able to handle and manage multiple assignments 

concurrently, have hands-on problem solving, and a strong background in 

shipbuilding operations’ processes. They are the knowledgeable intermittent 

users. 

• Shipyard/workshop Manager: They are responsible for managing the whole 

workshop, and coordinate the processes of the shipyard. With the help of the 

simulation system, they can accomplish their job, which is to manage the 

employees and all day-to-day activities to ensure timely execution of all 
4

requirements. They can also plan and execute the expansion goals to increase 

shipyard and work shop capability; Moreover, to leverage supply chain processes 

to reduce material cost and increase in sourcing activities, increase equipment 

utilization and labor efficiency, drive planning and scheduling activities to level 

load workflow and balance with current capacity, optimize staffing resources by 

providing clear direction, communication, performance management, and 

corrective action when necessary. They normally have degrees in Business or 

Engineering, and years of leadership experience. However, they do not have 

simulation experience or background, so they are categorized as novice users. 

• Sale Staff: They are those persons who are responsible for negotiating new orders. 

They can use the simulator to determine due dates that are consistent with actual 

production status and load. In addition, they are responsible for developing the 

strategic sales and marketing objectives for the shipyard. They need to interact 

with internal and external customers, have the capability to adjust for the new 

culture. They may be categorized as novice users of the simulation system. 

• IT Staff: They are responsible for installing and maintaining the computer 

hardware and software systems. They are not frequent users of the simulation 

system. They may be categorized as novice users of the system. 

For those novice or first time users such as production staff, although they are 

professionals who understand the terminology of shipbuilding operations, they might 

have very shallow knowledge of the simulation system and the interface concept. These 

users might have anxiety about using computers that inhibit learning. Therefore, the 

design of the system interface is a challenge. It is better to use the terminologies that they 

are familiar with. The numbers of the actions should be small, so that these users can 

carry out simple tasks successfully and thus reduce anxiety, build confidence, and gain 

positive reinforcement. Informative feedback should be helpful and constructive. 

Specific error messages may need to be provided when they make mistakes. Clearly 

designed manuals and systematic tutorials may be effective. They need to be trained 

thoroughly before they use the system. After they use the system for a while, they may 

become knowledgeable intermittent users (Cooper 2002). 

For those knowledgeable intermittent users such as simulation analyst and process 

engineer, they have stable task concepts and broad knowledge of the system concept and 

terminology. When they first start to use the system, retaining the structure and the 

location of features might still be hard, so some training may be necessary. The burden 

on their memories will be lightened by orderly structure in the menu, consistent 

terminology, and high interface appearance that emphasizes recognition rather than 

recall. Consistent sequences of actions, meaningful messages, and guides to frequent 

patterns of usage will help to rediscover how to perform the tasks properly. User manuals 

will be helpful. After they become expert power users, they are thoroughly familiar with 

the system and the interface, they might like to have quicker response times, brief and 

non-distracting feedback, and the capacity to carry out actions with just a few keystrokes 

or selections. 
5

Because of the several communities of users for the system, the design effort of the user 

interface will be multiplied. The eight “Golden” Principles for design user interface 

according to Shneiderman are (Shneiderman 1998): 

1. Strive for consistency 

Consistent sequences of actions should be required in similar situations; identical 

terminology should be used in prompts, menus, and help screens; and consistent 

commands should be employed throughout. 

2. Enable frequent users to use shortcuts 

As the frequency of use increases, so do the user's desires to reduce the number of 

interactions and to increase the pace of interaction. Abbreviations, function keys, hidden 

commands, and macro facilities are very helpful to an expert user. 

3. Offer informative feedback 

For every operator action, there should be some system feedback. For frequent and minor 

actions, the response can be modest, while for infrequent and major actions, the response 

should be more substantial. 

4. Design dialog to yield closure 

Sequences of actions should be organized into groups with a beginning, middle, and end. 

The informative feedback at the completion of a group of actions gives the operators the 

satisfaction of accomplishment, a sense of relief, the signal to drop contingency plans and 

options from their minds, and an indication that the way is clear to prepare for the next 

group of actions. 

5. Offer simple error handling 

As much as possible, design the system so the user cannot make a serious error. If an 

error is made, the system should be able to detect the error and offer simple, 

comprehensible mechanisms for handling the error. 

6. Permit easy reversal of actions 

This feature relieves anxiety, since the user knows that errors can be undone; it thus 

encourages exploration of unfamiliar options. The units of reversibility may be a single 

action, a data entry, or a complete group of actions. 

7. Support internal locus of control 

Experienced operators strongly desire the sense that they are in charge of the system and 

that the system responds to their actions. Design the system to make users the initiators of 

actions rather than the responders. 

8. Reduce short-term memory load 

The limitation of human information processing in short-term memory requires that 

displays be kept simple, multiple page displays be consolidated, window-motion 

frequency be reduced, and sufficient training time be allotted for codes, mnemonics, and 

sequences of actions. 
6

4 USER INTERFACE GOAL 

Careful determination of the user community and of the benchmark set of tasks is the 

basis for establishing human-factors’ goals. Based on the user profiles discussed above, 

the general user’s goals are as simple as the following (Shneiderman 1998): 

• Not looking stupid 

• Knowing what’s going on 

• Knowing how to use the system 

• Remembering how to use the system 

• Making sure that displays are clear enough to understand 

• Having information clearly, meaningfully, and consistently categorized on 

different screens 

• Minimizing the user input 

• Minimizing the chance of errors 

• Involving no dangers even if mistakes are made 

• Getting useful feedback from the system 

• Having visually pleasing displays 

The above user goals are translated to the Shneiderman’s five measurable goals for 

evaluation. They are listed below: 

• Time to learn: Easy and quick, about two minutes for a typical member of the 

user community. 

• Speed of performance: five seconds to carry out the benchmark tasks. 

• Rate of errors by users: the goal for the error rate by a user is low. 

• Retention over time: depends on the user level and frequency of use of the 

system, since the time to learn is short, the retention over time is high. 

• Subjective satisfaction: the goal of this aspect is moderate. 

The simulation system is used to simulate the shipbuilding operations and manipulate 

required data. This includes: 

• Execution of orders, jobs, and tasks 

• Emulation of the production calendar and shift schedule 

• Enforcement of precedence constraints in process plan routing and operation 

sheets 

• Sequencing of steps in the operation sheet associated with an individual task 

• Availability of resources: Space, cranes, labors 

• Allocation of resources to tasks 

The user interface includes the following features: 

 

• Managing different display screens based on different functionalities 

• Observing simulation runs 

• Monitoring location, job, task status dynamically 

• Displaying simulation output results 

• Generating custom reports of simulation results 
7

5 SIMULATION SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT 

The term “Simulation system” is used to refer to the simulation model, the simulation 

engine, a user interface system, and associated data files. The main simulation system 

components are described below: 

Control Logic: The control logic is customized code and data developed to model the 

production process of the shipyard. Most manufacturing simulations concentrate on 

modeling material flow. This shipbuilding simulation project is different in that it 

concentrates on modeling the flow of work through various planning and processing 

stages. Users can analyze and manipulate the production data through a spreadsheet type 

of user interface. The control logic for the simulation model manages the execution of the 

following modules (McLean and Shao 2001): 

• Graphical user interface 

• Data input 

• Job and task management 

• Production area allocation and space management 

• Labor allocation 

• Resource allocation 

• Calendar and clock 

• Report generator 

The major control logic is discussed briefly as follows: Jobs and tasks are defined as 

logical entities in the simulation flow to simulate the production process. A job entity is 

created for each subproject within the project, e.g., a steel fabrication job, a pipe 

fabrication. Each job is decomposed into many tasks. Figure 1 shows the relationships 

between and among project, jobs, and tasks. Job entities are relatively independent of 

each other. Tasks within a job are dependent upon each other by precedence 

relationships. A set of unique task entities is created for each job according to the critical 

path network. Jobs and tasks flow through a series of locations within the simulation 

model as they are processed. Figure 2 shows the entity – location relation among project, 

job, and task. 

Project

Job1

Task1

Job2 Jobn

Task2 Taskn Task1 Task2 Taskn Task1 Task2 Taskn

......................

....... .......
8

Figure 1: Relation among Project, Job, and Task 

Project in arrival

Unstarted job

Job subarea selection

Task initialization

Task evaluation

Task resource allocation

Task processing

Task Completion

Project

Jobs

Tasks

Figure 2: Entity – Location relation among Project, Job, and Task 

Job entities are created at an Arrival location within the simulation model. Once the job 

data is initialized from data files, it is moved to the Unstarted_jobs location. At the 

Unstarted_jobs location, if current date is later than or equal to the job start date, the job 

is moved to the Job_area_selection location. At the Job_area_selection location, the 

production area where the job will be processed is determined. If the allocation is 

successful, the job moves to the Task_initialization location for the selected production 

area. A unique set of “task” locations is associated with each production area. At the 

Task_initialization location, preparation, decomposition, and calculation for the job and 

its tasks are being done. A unique task entity is created for each task in the job, and then 

moved to the Task_evaluation location for the selected working area. At the

Task_evaluation location, a determination is made as to whether the task is ready to start 

based on the precedent conditions. Ready tasks are moved to the Task_labor_allocation 

location. At the Task_labor_allocation location, workers are allocated from the labor 

pool to each task. At the Task_processing location, the task waits until either the work 

content is completed or the shift ends. If the work completes before the end of the shift, 
9

the task is moved to the Task_completion location. If the shift ends before the work is 

completed, the task is moved back to the Task_labor_allocation location. 

User Interface: The dynamically updated user interface allows the users to use 

interactively the simulation model to evaluate and analyze the production process model 

of the shipyard. The multi-screen displays are used to show the progress of different 

aspects of the simulation. The screens show the overall status of the simulation in terms 

of several logical views of the data. Each screen displays the shift calendar and clock 

data. Screen information is updated when selecting to view this screen or the overall 

screen. See Appendix A for the logical diagram for the screen display. The nine user 

interface screens showed in Figure 3 are briefly described below: 

• Simulation Status – shows the status of jobs and tasks from the project plan flows 

through simulation processing locations. Each position shows a count of the jobs 

or tasks currently in that state. 

• Subarea Allocation – lists the individual job numbers for a particular subarea 

location. Subareas are divided into slots. The slots number and location number 

for the job are also shown. 

• Location Status - lists the individual job numbers for a particular simulation 

processing location. 

• Job Status – shows the data for an individual job that is being processed. There is 

also a job drawing or picture for the selected job being displayed on this screen. 

• Task Status – shows the data for an individual task as well as the task precedent 

status for the selected task in the selected job. 

• Resource Allocation Status –shows the status of resources, e.g., three types of 

cranes and five types of labors that are actively working and the number of 

resources currently available. 

• Production Schedule – shows a list of the scheduled jobs according to the mode 

of selection, which is sorted by either job identifier starting with selected job 

identifier or by lateness rank for the selected area. 

• Part and Inventory Status – shows the run time status of parts and inventory and 

in process.

• Statistical Data Summary - shows the summary statistics data for production and 

resources’ utilization. 
10

• Production Calendar, Clock, and Shift Management Panels – shows a 

production clock that gives elapsed time in days, shifts, hours and minutes from 

the simulation start. It provides production calendar information. The time unit is 

minutes. The current calendar assumes a seven-day work schedule. 

Figure 3: Overall Screen 

Simulation Data Management: The shipyard input data for the simulation may 

originally reside in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Project files, or people’s 

heads. An XML structure of the shipyard data interface is used as the input data format. 

ProModel reads the XML data and translates it to a format of the internal representation 

of ProModel. In this version of ProModel, all data must essentially be represented as an 

integer or real numbers. The following major sets of data are required to configure and 

run the shipyard simulation models: 

• Schedule file 

• Shipbuilding project plans 

• Labor configuration data 

• Calendar and shift information 

Figure 4 shows that all shipyard data files must be processed into appropriate input file 

formats for ProModel. 
11

Data File Conversion Process Promodel Shipyard Simulation

Simulation Input

Files

Shipyard Data

Files

Figure 4: Input data conversion process 

The preprocessor is a NIST-developed module, written in the C programming language 

that is used to read the shipyard data into the simulation model. The data files are read 

into the simulator during the initialization phase of the simulation run. Three userrequired formatted output reports are generated after the simulation run: 

Jobs summary report - Contains a log of information for jobs and those tasks that make 

up the jobs from the project plan. Not only the identification information but also the 

information calculated and allocated is listed. 

Labor log report - Contains a log of labor information for the task, including the start 

day/month/year, shift identifier, labor status, labor start/end min, job/task identifier, labor 

type, local pool, global pool count, labor source. 

Space log report - Contains a log of sub area information for the task, including the 

simulation time, start day/month/year, shift identifier, shift time, pier identifier, 

percentage utilization and portion in use. 

6 USER INTERFACE SCREEN DESIGNS 

Figure 5 shows the default screen after the execution of the simulation model – 

Simulation status screen; it shows the status of the jobs and the tasks from the project 

plan flows through the following simulation-processing locations: Arrival, Unstarted 

Jobs, Subarea selection, Task initialization, Task Evaluation, Task Resource Allocation, 

Task Processing, Task Completion, Job Processing, Completed Jobs, and Jobs Exit. Each 

position shows a count of the jobs or tasks currently in that state. Figure 6 is the Subarea 

space allocation screen; a table is referred to generically as a subarea. This screen is 

responsible for displaying the dynamically allocating and releasing chunks of workspace 

within the subarea for jobs. The subarea is divided up into slots. Each slot consumes 3 

feet of the table’s length dimension. Figure 7 is the Production schedule screen; it shows 

scheduled, actual start, and end dates as well as the lateness for jobs listed by different 

display modes. Figure 8 is the Job status screen; it shows information including job 

identifier, schedules, working area, work contents and labor information as well as the 

drawing or picture of the job. Figure 9 is the Task status screen; it shows information 

including the job information, which the task belongs to, task parameters and resources 

information, and includes the precedent conditions with other tasks. Figure 10 is the 

Resource allocation status screen, which includes labor and crane allocation. Number of 

workers assigned refers to the number of workers allocated for the current shift. If a crane 
12

is required, the crane type is indicated. A real value between zero and one indicates the 

percentage time of the total work content of the task that requires a crane. Figure 11 is 

the Statistical data summary screen. It shows statistical data for production and resource 

utilizations both for real time and at the end of the simulation execution. 

Figure 5: Simulation Status Screen 
13

Figure 6: Production Subarea Space Allocation Screen 

Figure 7: Production Schedule Status Screen 
14

Figure 8: Job Status Screen 

Figure 9: Task Status Screen 
15

 Figure 10: Resource Allocation Status Screen 

Figure 11: Statistical Data Summary Screen 
16

7 USER INTERFACE MENUS AND DIALOG BOXES 

Figure 12 is the menu that allows users to select any available screen to view the status. 

Figure 13 is the menu that allows users to select any available subarea to view its 

allocation status for the particular subarea. Figure 14 is the main menu that allows users 

to select any available submenu. Figure 15 is the form that allows users to enter the job 

identifier of interest to view the job information. Figure 16 is the form that allows users 

to enter the task identifier of interest to view the task information. Figure 17 is the form 

that allows users to enter the shift identifier of interest to view related information. Figure 

18 is the feedback message that instructs users how to cycle through all jobs or tasks to 

view the relevant information. Figure 19 is the error feedback messages that indicate the 

users have entered an invalid job identifier and provides a correct range for the user to 

continue. Figure 20 displays an error feedback message that indicates the user has 

entered an invalid task identifier and provides a correct range for the user to proceed. 

The messages showed in Figure 19 and Figure 20 provide accurate error correction 

information to help the users. 

 Figure 12: Menu for Screen Selection 
17

 Figure 13: Menu for Subarea Selection 

Figure 14: Main Menu 
18

 Figure 15: Form for Job Identifier Entry 

Figure 16: Form for Task Identifier Entry 

Figure 17: Form for Shift Identifier Entry 

Figure 18: Feedback Message for Cycling 
19

Figure 19: Error Message for Wrong Job Identifier Entry 

Figure 20: Error Message for Wrong Task Identifier Entry 

8 STEPS TO USE THE SIMULATION INTERFACE 

The following steps are the guides to user the simulation user interface: 

1. Launch ProModel software 

2. Open simulation model Shipbuilding_UI.MOD 

3. Use F10 or go to the pull down menu “Simulation” (the fifth one from left) Æ

then select Run 

4. Click “Interact,” a pop-up window will show up. 

5. Choose “Select_screen” to activate, the window becomes a prompt window and it 

asks you to select from one of the following nine screens you wish to view: 

• Simulation Status 

• Subarea Space Allocation 

• Location status 

• Resource Allocation 

• Production Schedule 

• Job Status 

• Task Status 

• Statistical data summary 

• Overall View

6. After you highlight one of the screens and hit OK, that screen will be displayed. 
20

7. If you are viewing the Subarea Space Allocation screen, you can repeat step 4, 

and choose the select_subarea_id to activate; and then select one of the four 

subareas to view information. 

8. If you are viewing the Resource Allocation Status screen, you can repeat step 4, 

and choose enter_shift_id or select_labor_shift_mode to activate it to view the 

information. 

9. If you are viewing the Production Schedule screen, you can repeat step 4, and 

choose select_sked_scrn_mode to activate, and then select the sorting method to 

view the information. 

10. If you are viewing the Job Status screen, you can repeat step 4, and then choose 

from one of the following: 

• Choose enter_job_id to activate, and then type in a job identifier to view 

its information. 

• Choose cycle_job_status_screen to activate, then cycle through all the jobs 

in the project to view the job information 

11. If you are viewing the Task Status screen, you can repeat step 4, then choose from 

one of the following: 

• Choose enter_job_id to activate, and then type in a job identifier to view 

its information. 

• Choose enter_task_id to activate, and then type in a task identifier to view 

its information. 

• Choose cycle_job_status_screen to activate, then cycle through all the jobs 

in the project to view the job information. 

• Choose cycle_task_status_screen to activate, then cycle through all the 

tasks in current job to view the job-task information. 

12. You can also repeat step 4, Choose “Select_screen” to activate, and then select the 

Overall View screen to view all nine screens together. 

13. Error message: when you enter an invalid job or task identifier, a message will 

pop up and tell you what the correct number range is. 

Before the execution of the simulation model, the user can view each screen by using the 

“hot key” Ctrl + F function keys, for example for the simulation status screen, use Ctrl + 

F1, and so on. 

CONCLUSIONS 

This paper has provided a brief overview of the user interface of the simulation of 

shipbuilding operations developed as a part of the NSRP Project by staff of the NIST 

Manufacturing Interoperability Program. The run time animated and graphical display of 

work location, resources, production flows, and simulation results help shipyards to make 

better production management and resource-allocation decisions. Using discrete event 

simulation software to design an effective user interface is a challenge. However, we still 
21

applied the user-centered strategy for the development of the shipbuilding simulation user 

interface and received positive response from end users. 

REFERENCES 

Cooper, Alan 2002. About Face, the Essentials of User Interface Design, Hungry Minds, Inc. 

Galitz, O. Wilbert 2002. The Essential Guide to User Interface Design, Second Edition, An 

introduction to GUI Design Principles and Techniques. Wiley Computer Publishing, John 

Wiley and Sons Inc. 

McLean and Shao 2001. Simulation of the Shipbuilding Operations, Proceedings of the 2001 

Winter Simulation Conference. New Jersey: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. 

Or via ‹http://www.informs-cs.org› 

ProModel Manufacturing Simulation Software Reference Guide, 1996, Orem, UT 

ProModel Manufacturing Simulation Software User’s Guide, 1996, Orem, UT 

Shneiderman, Ben 1998 Designing the User Interface, Strategies for Effective Human Computer 

Interaction, third Edition. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 

Storch, Hammon, Bunch and Richard C. 1995. Ship Production, second Edition. Cornell 

Maritime Press, Inc. 

The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) WebPages <http://www.nsrp.org> 
22

Appendix A 

Logical Diagram for the Screens Display 

Visual interface

Interactive select screen

Set screen

Update job status scrn

Update task summary

Update screens

Update space allocation screen

Update location status screen Update stat data screen

Update utilization statistics Update throughput

Update task status screen

Update task precedence

Update prod schedule screen

Update prod schedule by job Update prod schedule by rank

Clear schedule screen arrays

Update resource alloc screen

Update crane panel Update labor panel

Update peak levels
23

Select subarea id

Interactive select subarea id

Update screens

Update space allocation screen
24

Select job id

Interactive select job id

Update job status screen

Update task summary

Update screens
25

Select task id

Interactive select task id

Update screens

Update task status screen

Update task precedence
26

Select sked scrn mode

Interactive select schedule screen mode

Update screens

Update production schedule screen

Update production schedule by

job

Update production schedule by

rank

Clear schedule screen arrays

Map schedule screen variables
27

Select labor shift mode

Interactive select labor shift mode

Update screens

Update resource alloc scrn

Update crane panel Update labor panel

Update peak levels

Interactive select shift id
28

Select cycle job status

Interactive select cycle job status

Update job status screen

Update task summary

Update screens

Set screen
29

Select cycle task status

Interactive select cycle task status

Update screens

Update task status screen

Update task precedence

Set screen