A human-centric framework for enhancing usability in a vineyard digital twin system

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Zareiee, Meysam and Zhao, Baixiang and Palmer, Claire and Mehrad, Mahsa and Goh, Yee Mey and Grant, Rebecca and Hubbard, Ella-Mae and Mehnen, Jörn and Maier, Anja (2026) A human-centric framework for enhancing usability in a vineyard digital twin system. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 244. 111490. ISSN 0168-1699 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2026.111490)

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Abstract

This paper develops and applies a human-centric framework to design a Digital Twin (DT) by applying a people-led approach to a vineyard automation scenario. Current DT systems in agriculture often focus on technical performance, which creates usability challenges such as data overload, lack of role-specific interfaces, and reduced trust among non-technical users. The study applies Personas to represent user groups and introduces a human-centric framework for mapping tasks and decision processes. The framework makes an original contribution by demonstrating how established human-centric methods can be systematically integrated into a coherent DT development process, addressing a recognised methodological gap in the literature. The objective of this research is to evaluate how a structured, human-centric approach can improve usability, cognitive alignment, and stakeholder engagement in vineyard automation. These processes are modeled using Personas, Decision Ladders and Control Task Analysis to align system functionality with user roles and cognitive needs. The research methodology integrates Personas, ConTA, and Decision Ladders within a real-world vineyard case study. This study showcases the impact of applying a structured human-centric DT design framework on improving decision-making support, user engagement, and system efficiency in agricultural contexts. Moreover, it provides expert-informed evidence in what way human-centric methods can be operationalised in a consistent and transparent way for DT redesign. Overall, the work demonstrates how a structured, people-led approach can enhance the usability and adoption of both new and existing DT systems, offering a transferable framework with relevance beyond agriculture.

ORCID iDs

Zareiee, Meysam ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5637-1746, Zhao, Baixiang ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3855-8718, Palmer, Claire, Mehrad, Mahsa, Goh, Yee Mey, Grant, Rebecca, Hubbard, Ella-Mae, Mehnen, Jörn ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6625-436X and Maier, Anja ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3890-6452;
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