User-Centered Hardware Re-Design for Improved User Experience

Sammanfattning: User experience design is most associated with human-computer interaction (HCI) but is highly applicable to analogue man-machinery interactions (MMI) as well. In Europe, millions of workplace accidents and incident occur every year. [1] Studies show, that about 50% of workplace accidents and incidents are a result of bad design. [2] Therefore, the relevance of UX design in man-machinery interactions should be evident. This thesis evaluates the MMI when using a Tetra Pak cardboard packer machine from the perspective of a machine operator. The evaluation is based on the usability components as defined by Jakob Nielsen [10], such as learnability, efficiency, and user satisfaction. The thesis identifies improved task accuracy during the configuration of hardware settings as a design opportunity, and the development of a simple solution to address that follows. The development takes a holistic, user-centered perspective, while adhering to the established Double Diamond [3] approach. A final, high-fidelity prototype of a setting’s marker is presented and evaluated in terms of its usability. The marker provides a visual reference for the operators during setting’s configuration, which lessens their mental load and speeds up the configuration process of with up to 11.5 seconds per setting in the final usability test. The thesis introduces the term “physical UX” to describe the user experience inherent in MMIs and concludes with the formulation of five design guidelines that are especially tailored to the field of physical UX design. The guidelines conclude that usability should be considered early on in a design process and highlights the importance of both internal and external design consistency.