User centricity in production

02.04.2024

The success of digitalization projects in production depends on various factors. This includes involving employees at an early stage. The industrial usability approach focuses on improving the user-friendliness of solutions for the digitalization of production. The aim is clear and intuitive use in order to avoid errors and increase employee motivation. This episode of the webinar series "From research to practice" provides insights into current research activities and results on the topic of industrial usability and their application in industry.

Usability - increasing the quality of work in production with curiosity

What can user-friendly operation of machines and tools look like today and in five years' time? The Interaction and Design team at Fraunhofer IAO, of which Mr. David Blank is a member, is addressing these and other questions. In his presentation, he will focus on human-technology interaction as part of the research area. The aim is to innovate and design technology for people so that it is as intuitive and motivating, efficient and meaningful as possible. Curiosity in the approach to a project is crucial for success, as some things are obvious, but many things are also hidden. In this context, Mr. Blank refers to user experience and usability, as described in the corresponding standards of the ISO 9241 series. Usability is therefore concerned with a specific usage situation. For example, how to perform a task with as few mouse clicks as possible. Methods such as eye tracking or measuring the number of clicks are used to achieve results. User experience goes one step further. According to the ISO standard, it is the evaluative feeling when interacting with a product. Mr. Blank gives the example of operating a train ticket machine. Does someone arrive at the machine stressed or relaxed? How do emotions change usage behavior? Are the experiences good or bad? The focus here is therefore on capturing human needs.

Everything revolves around the user

Mr. Blank provides a practical example of the challenges of integrating technology and user experience through an ongoing research project with an intelligent cordless screwdriver that uses AI and shows the user, for example, whether they have used two washers, whether the screw is defective, whether the screwdriver has been held poorly, etc. He emphasizes the need to carefully examine the impact on users. This requires discussions with various stakeholders, including management. This is because experience shows that different opinions exist regarding user requirements and implementation.

Consider and test multiple options

Mr. Blank recommends the use of personas and the inclusion of the so-called 3-variant rule. This rule aims to test different solutions before implementation. Finally, he encourages testing ideas before implementation and gathering opinions, pointing out the importance of direct feedback. This approach means that the entire human-centered design process is thought through and covers all aspects from usability to user experience in order to ensure holistic integration and increase the quality of work in production.

Unified product world - a case study on the app world of Trumpf

The worm must taste good to the fish and not to the angler, explains Franz Koller from UID GmbH in his presentation. The same applies to the development of products. UX, or user experience, is a very important basis for the design of successful products. His company is on a mission to make the world of tomorrow simpler and more aesthetic. To this end, the human-centered design approach is pursued, as already mentioned by Mr Blank, which focuses on the user. Mr. Koller describes what this process can look like in practice using a case study from the company Trumpf. The company specializes in the manufacture of machine tools, lasers and electronic devices. The user interfaces are an important interface for the interaction between man and machine. How can they be designed so that they are user-friendly and therefore less prone to errors? This is important for employee motivation on the one hand and for productivity on the other.

User-friendly interfaces are the trump card at Trumpf

Trumpf has been working on the topic of usability for over 20 years. The current requirement for the company UID was to standardize the design of the mobile web applications in order to create a high level of recognizability and a uniform ecosystem. To this end, the design philosophy and values of the Trumpf brand were integrated. The iterative approach was based on the user-centered development process. Interaction principles of various mobile applications and machine operations were analyzed. The Trumpf brand was considered in its entirety, from machine design and building architecture to print materials and trade fair stands. Ideas were generated, iterated, customer feedback was obtained and a design system was developed based on this process. This design system was documented and made available online. Software components were created for developers and the design system was used as the basis for new developments. In this way, different products with the same design DNA can also be created in the future.

Iterative approach also for SMEs

In conclusion, Mr. Koller emphasizes that user-centered design is not only relevant for touchscreens, but also for development in the mobile world, augmented reality and virtual reality. His clear message is not to shy away from the supposed complexity, but to start with an iterative way of thinking and to consider the user as the decisive benchmark. This is especially true for SMEs. Because the process also works for small and medium-sized enterprises, as the process is scalable.

UX in robotics

A cake doesn't only taste good if it looks pretty. Applied to her work as Head of Product UX, KUKA Deutschland GmbH, Jessica Rademacher uses this metaphor to emphasize the user-friendliness of software solutions. KUKA develops products  in which human-machine interaction plays a decisive role. This applies to products such as the engineering suite, where things can be preconfigured offline, as well as the operating device with which the robot is operated in reality. The aim is to further improve the usability of products, especially robot operating devices. This is particularly relevant for the automotive industry. Here, the degree of automation in car body construction is now over 90%.

User-friendliness is at the top of the menu

Using the example of the user menu for the reference positioning of robot axes, she shows how usability can be improved. The screen design has hardly changed since 1996. Through in-depth analysis and discussions within the team, it was possible to eliminate unnecessary ballast and make the menu more user-friendly. The approach is not just to optimize the visual design, but to improve the overall user experience. To do this, she and her team work closely with developers to understand the technical complexity and develop user-friendly workflows. To do this, they use the "User Experience Iceberg" model, which examines factors that lie beneath the surface in addition to the visible visual design.

Making the complex simple

The message is: it's not just about aesthetic improvements, but about making the product accessible, useful, desirable and credible. The focus on standards serves to ensure stability and equivalence. In the team, Jessica Rademacher prefers UX developers who not only beautify the design, but also understand the technical complexity. This equivalence leads to the joint creation of products that not only look good, but are also really user-friendly.

Discussion round: What concerns the participants

In the concluding discussion round with all participants, one of the questions asked was for an assessment of when the optimal time for UX in product development is. Here, Mr. Koller emphasized that UX issues, such as user goals and needs, should be included as early as possible. The speakers' recommendations for getting started with UX included an early start, overcoming fears of perfection and a willingness to take small steps. Training and education were mentioned as helpful for getting started. When asked about the cost-benefit calculation for UX developments, it was agreed that the assessment was challenging, as the economic benefits often only become apparent in retrospect. In the medical environment, for example, usability is relevant for approval and requires long-term investment. Data-driven possibilities in UX were also asked about. The response here was that data can be an important addition by providing insights into usage. Nevertheless, it was emphasized that direct user integration through observation should not be completely replaced by data-driven approaches. In summary, the discussion showed the importance of early integration of UX issues, the courage to take small steps when getting started, the challenges of cost evaluation and the useful addition of data in UX development.

The webinar series "From research into practice"

The "ZD.B Digital Production & Engineering" and "Mechatronics & Automation Cluster" were brought together at Bayern Innovativ to network technological and organizational expertise. The topics and activities in the field of digitalization in production and engineering as well as Industry 4.0 have been continued in the Mechatronics & Automation Cluster since 01.01.2024. This also includes the webinar series "From research into practice". Here, research institutions and companies provide insights into current research activities and discuss these with participants. The aim is to support small and medium-sized companies in particular in making meaningful use of digital technologies in their production processes and engineering.

You can contact the team in person or via the email address Contact by Mail .

Contact details of the speakers:

David Blank , Research Associate Team Interaction Design and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO
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Franz Koller, Director Sales & Business Development, UID GmbH
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Jessica Rademacher , Head Of Product UX, KUKA Deutschland GmbH
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Review of the events and further information

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