Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Mobility and Usability in Industrial Devices for Operational Efficiency

Abstract

A shift from traditional pen and paper to advanced industrial devices can pose significant ergonomic challenges that impede efficiency and adoption, especially among refinery workers on the front lines. Due to usability and mobility issues, frontline workers in these industries resist adopting new technology which get in the way of their daily work. Consequently, duplication of work, manual data entry and human errors become common occurrences in this safety critical environment, where accuracy and timely data collection is key. In this paper, we present a mixed-methods case study to highlight the effectiveness of a user-centric approach to enhancing technology adoption, by prioritising human factors and ergonomic design principles. A design research exercise was conducted with 15 refinery operators leading to an iterative development process with continuous feedback sessions. This systematic approach allowed us to address user pain points, optimise their daily work, and improve their acceptance and adoption of mobility devices. Post-intervention data showed a significant increase in user satisfaction from 2/10 to 8/10 and a significant surge in device usage.

Keywords: Design thinking, User Experience, Human Factors & Ergonomics, Usability, Technology

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005664