June 2023
Project Overview
This project is to improve the user experience of robot programmers using ABB OmniCore FlexPendant for programming robot tasks. This code editor is designed for touch screens and is used to generate text-based code lines.
Context
ABB latest version industrial robot controller launched in 2019, with entirely new operating system.
Challenges
Baby Duck Syndrome: user resistance to transitioning to the latest version
The older version robot controller IRC5 has been in the market for 20 years.
UX was not a focal point in the early stage of development
Compared to IRC5, the interface and interaction have a huge difference
Objectives
Enable robot programmers to complete tasks more efficiently
Prestudy: What is out there
7 Companies
9 touchable code editors
3 types of interface
The market lacks an exemplary text-based programming interface
Our competitors also grapple with the issue of redundant steps and cumbersome interaction
Empathize: What users Think About
16 participants
From 7 countries
Internal & External users
Interview
Online interview to gain feedback
Contextual Inquiry
understand users' workflows in their actual working environment
The participants covers four types of target audience
Define: Problems
30 UX issues
4 problem prioritizations
Affinity map
Through thematic analysis, the affinity map was created. there are four main themes: User Experience Overview, User Experience Problem - productivity, Expectation - more efficiently, Role
Fancy UI is not needed, high productivity is important
To better understand the UX issues, I created UX issue cards. After listing all the problems, I employed the MoSCoW Metric method to categorize them into: 'Must Improve', 'Should Improve', 'Could Improve' and 'won't Improve' category.
Drawing on the results of the user study, I established a set of design principles and objectives to guide my work.
'big and bigger' buttons for big fingers
Less tap and cumbersome interaction
Replace drop down menu
Shortcuts & Customization
Design for touchscreen with limited size and sensitivity
Prototype: Design Solutions
Program Structure: Users now can swiftly navigate through files under various tasks and modules and track recent modification.
Program Editor: Users now can swiftly toggle between operation panels, customize their interface, and define their own shortcuts for enhanced usability.
Property Panels: The data and instruction editing panels are designed to present information more clearly and in an organized manner.
PROTOTYPE: ISSUE → SOLUTION
New Solution ← Click to View → Current Solution
Test: How Is The Performance
3 Tasks
2 Versions
Time Consumption
Questionnaire: SUS & UEQ
Lesson Learned
The user's strong desire for a feature doesn't always translate into a best solution. Therefore, user testing is a necessity.
Providing much freedom in customization could decrease efficiency, and it is challenging to cater to all users' needs.
