Redesigning Industrial Software: Empowering Experts in a Digital Age

Summary

Designing software for industrial specialists is not just a technical challenge; it's an opportunity to revolutionize how critical infrastructure operates and how experts interact with technology. These aren't casual users; they are engineers, operators and analysts who use software to maintain power grids, manage refineries and ensure the smooth functioning of essential operations. Their work is mission-critical, often performed under pressure and in hazardous conditions. Yet, paradoxically, the software they rely on frequently suffers from poor user experience (UX) design.

The paradox of capable users and inadequate tools

One might assume that highly skilled professionals can navigate any software, regardless of its usability. However, this overlooks a crucial point that speed, efficiency and safety are all hindered by poorly designed software. These specialists are not just using tools; they are orchestrating complex systems. Clunky, outdated software with poor UX adds unnecessary friction, slows down decision-making and increases the potential for errors that can result in safety consequences.
 
Much industrial software prioritizes functionality over usability. Software buying decisions are often based on feature lists rather than on good user-centered design. While comprehensive features are essential, they are less relevant if users struggle to discover and utilize them effectively. Utility and usability are not mutually exclusive. Great software has both.

Industrial software core activities

Industrial software users engage in three core activities: designing systems, maintaining operations and optimizing processes. These activities span a wide range of tasks, from creating new infrastructure layouts to tracking real-time data and identifying areas for improvement. Each activity demands a unique set of tools and expertise, yet many software solutions fail to adequately address these diverse needs.
 
Examples of these activities include:

• Designing systems: creating a new power grid layout, planning the layout of a distillation column and drafting a piping and instrumentation diagram for a new unit.
• Maintaining operations: observing real-time energy consumption data, checking alarm systems and safety interlocks in a control room,and tracking maintenance schedules for equipment.
• Optimizing processes: analyzing efficiency of a manufacturing line, optimizing catalyst usage in a refining process, identifying areas for energy waste reduction.

The legacy of outdated guidelines

Current UX practices in industrial software are often based on guidelines developed decades ago, such as the ASM Consortium Guidelines (2008) and the HMI for High Performance System (2008). While these guidelines served a purpose in their time, they have become largely outdated in the face of rapid technological advancements. The world has changed dramatically since 2008, with the rise of smartphones, social media, cloud, AI and other transformative technologies. While human ergonomics hasn’t changed–the way we use technology has changed a lot. 
 
Continuing to rely exclusively on these outdated principles, particularly for industrial software designed to help users complete critical tasks around designing, maintaining and optimizing systems, risks leaving the industry behind.

The shift in user expectations

Software is no longer just a tool, it's becoming a companion and extension of our capabilities. Users expect seamless, intuitive and engaging experiences. This shift is particularly pronounced among digital natives, a unique cohort of people born between 1995 and 2010. This generation—the first to have never known a world without the internet—is intricately shaped by the digital age.
 
Here are a few things to know about digital natives:

• They demand instant gratification and have a shorter attention span.
• They expect digital products to deliver fast, seamless and frictionless experiences.
• They thrive on sharing, commenting and collaboration.
• 40% of them say they'd like to leave their jobs in the next two years.

According to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2030, digital natives will make up 30% of the industrial workforce, and their expectations will shape the future of industrial software.

A vision for user experience in industrial software

It's time to challenge the status quo and redefine the industrial software experience, including the creation of products that are frictionless, engaging, self-learned and meaningful. This involves moving beyond outdated industrial software design guidelines, embracing the expectations of digital natives, respecting the expertise of veteran users and empowering specialists to excel in their domains.
 
The following are key principles industry decision makers should consider when selecting a software partner that prioritizes the future of UX design:

1. Embrace innovation: Moving beyond outdated norms and embracing new approaches to industrial software UX.
2. Design for digital natives: Aligning software design with the expectations of the next generation of users.
3. Respect veteran users: Honoring the knowledge and experience of long-time users, ensuring they can adapt to new technologies.
4. Empower experts: Providing tools that amplify the expertise of specialists and enable them to achieve new levels of performance.

A new era of industrial software

Designing software for specialists is not just about creating better user-interfaces; it's about enabling progress, innovation and safety in critical industries. It's about empowering individuals who are responsible for keeping the world running. Embracing user-centered design principles and adapting to the evolving expectations of a new generation of users will usher in a new era of industrial software that is both powerful and intuitive. It’s up to technology providers to design industrial software with user experience of the highest caliber, on par with the best software in the world.