Webinar Recap: Human-Centred Digital Twins — Building for Adoption, Impact, and AI-Readiness
We recently had the pleasure of hosting an engaged and inquisitive audience for our latest webinar exploring how human-centred design is helping shape the future of digital twins.
Led by our Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer, Amber Standley, the session unpacked what’s often missing from digital twin conversations: usability. Even the most advanced technologies can fall short if they aren’t built around the people who need to use them. Human-Centred Design (HCD) offers a practical, repeatable approach to improving adoption, accelerating impact, and laying the groundwork for AI integration.
What Does AI Bring to Digital Twins — and How Do We Get There?
AI has the potential to dramatically enhance digital twins by enabling systems that are not just visual and interactive, but intelligent and predictive. When combined with a well-structured and well-used digital twin, AI can:
Predict outcomes: by analysing historical and real-time data to forecast maintenance needs, environmental risks, or asset performance
Optimise workflows: by identifying inefficiencies and suggesting targeted improvements
Surface insights automatically: by detecting patterns or anomalies that may be missed in manual analysis
Support smarter decision-making: by offering real-time recommendations based on live data, user behaviour, and contextual inputs
During the Webinar, Amber described how the Terria Partner Program utilises human-centred design principles as it guides participants through the sprints: Ideate, Build, Test and Learn.
But as Amber shared, the journey toward AI doesn’t start with technology, it starts with people. If a digital twin isn’t trusted, easy to use, or integrated into existing workflows, AI alone won’t solve those challenges.
To unlock the full potential of AI, digital twins must be built on a strong foundation:
Usability: Interfaces should align with how people already work, not require them to adapt to new systems unnecessarily
Structured, reliable data: Clean, well-organised, and consistent datasets are critical, especially across spatial, temporal, and operational domains
Clear use cases: Focused applications help guide the level of complexity and fidelity required to deliver value
Governance and trust: As systems evolve, so must the frameworks that support data quality, transparency, and responsible AI integration
“At Terria, our approach is to start with real-world workflows, apply practical design tools, and grow capability over time which results in digital twins that are both usable today and AI-ready for the future.”
Key Takeaways
Adoption beats ambition
Many digital twin projects fall short not due to technical limitations, but because they aren’t designed with users in mind. Complexity, misalignment, or lack of trust can all stand in the way. Starting with user needs and workflows changes the outcome.
Journey mapping brings clarity
Amber introduced simple but powerful tools to map workflows, data requirements, and user pain points. These techniques help surface opportunities for early wins — and highlight where a digital twin can offer the most impact.
Proof of concept = proof of value
A standout example from the webinar featured a transmission project in remote Australia. By using Terria to create a 3D digital twin, the team transformed stakeholder engagement and accelerated decision-making. What began as a proof of concept became a new benchmark for infrastructure planning.
Start small. Learn fast.
Digital twin projects don’t need to be perfect at launch. Low-fidelity prototypes, built using existing tools, allow teams to test ideas, gather feedback, and refine direction — without significant upfront investment.
What’s Next?
Our Digital Twin Partner Program, focused on HCD-led digital twin use cases across infrastructure, sustainability, and urban development, is now fully subscribed.
While expressions of interest for the May 2025 intake have closed, we still welcome enquiries from organisations ready to move from complexity to clarity. We'd love to hear from you - Submit an Enquiry
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A Big Thank You
To everyone who joined the webinar, we thank you!
Your thoughtful questions and interest in everything from open data to AI-enabled twins reflect the growing momentum across this space. We believe the next wave of innovation will be shaped by those who keep people at the centre of technology.
About Terria
Terria makes it easy to build advanced maps and digital twins, so you can see the bigger picture. Our digital maps and spatial digital twin technology make it easy for you to unlock the full potential of your data, enabling faster, smarter decision-making. We help you transform complex data into clear, actionable insights, so you can tackle real-world challenges with confidence and precision.
At Terria, we believe that data transparency has the power to transform how businesses operate, make decisions, and engage with stakeholders—ultimately leading to better outcomes for all. Find out more here https://terria.io/about
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