When you walk into a warehouse, what do you see? Machinery, inventory, shipping, and safety? Walk down the aisles and try to count how many labels there are for the items. Instructions for how to operate machinery. Danger signs for employee safety. You’ll be shocked by how much information is thrust onto you right from the start.

Now hop into the forklift and try to operate it. Or use the specialized electronics your warehouse uses to stay organized and efficient. Do you understand what the buttons all do? Can you read the code the machine spits out when it malfunctions? If there’s an emergency, will you be able to use the medical equipment on site? (Are you feeling overwhelmed yet?)

This is the everyday experience for industrial workers and a vital example of the disconnect between leaders and employees on the role of technology in the workplace. While 90% of C-suite executives say their company is listening to the company’s needs when introducing new technologies, only 53% of staff say the same.

​And for much of this frustration, you can look to four letters as the source of that disconnect: UI/UX, or User Interface and User Experience.

Although the phrases user interface and user experience are used interchangeably, they are two different things. The user interface is the design aspect of something. You can think of it as how something looks. The images, the colors, the typography. Meanwhile, the user experience is how something functions. The user’s journey, and the functionality of technology.

Okay! So, now we’ve covered the what and why of UI/UX, but is it really that important? Absolutely. Investing in good UI/UX design can save you money in several ways:

In short, prioritizing UI/UX design is a smart investment that pays off in terms of lower training costs, reduced support expenses, fewer errors, increased productivity, improved customer retention, and early issue identification.

Whether it is a new employee joining the team, or an update to the old process, you’ll need to train your team. An intuitive user interface for something that is new to the work environment will speed up the training process for new operators.

​Additionally, the consistency of UI design across different machinery and systems within an industrial facility ensures that operators can apply their knowledge seamlessly when transitioning between tasks or workstations. This uniformity reduces the likelihood of errors and contributes to a smoother workflow.

That’s a whole lot of: “This is really important!” But you might be asking yourself: How can I improve the UI/UX where I work? We’ve got a list thanks to some of the

In conclusion, user interfaces and user experience in industrial settings are nuanced and incredibly important for every company level. Employees want to be efficient, and for the systems they work with, they want to do exactly that: Work. Managers want to keep their teams energized and safe while minimizing wasted time and energy.