March 4, 2024 – Building on its foundational commitment to universal usability, Rockwell Automation is systematically integrating inclusive design principles across its vast industrial automation portfolio. This comprehensive effort, detailed in Part 2 of an ongoing series, demonstrates a proactive approach to enhancing accessibility in hardware, standardizing inclusive terminology, and embedding accessibility into core design systems. The initiative underscores a broader industry shift towards recognizing the diverse needs of a global workforce operating in increasingly complex and demanding industrial settings.
The Strategic Imperative of Inclusive Design in Industrial Automation
The industrial automation sector, characterized by its reliance on robust equipment in often challenging environments, faces unique demands when it comes to inclusive design. Solutions must function flawlessly “anywhere, anytime, and all the time,” a principle that extends beyond operational reliability to encompass universal usability. As global workforces become more diverse, including a significant percentage of individuals with various disabilities, the economic and ethical imperative for inclusive design grows. Industry estimates suggest that companies embracing inclusive design can tap into a wider talent pool, reduce operational errors, enhance safety, and significantly improve user satisfaction, leading to tangible productivity gains. Rockwell Automation’s strategy is not merely about compliance but about fostering innovation that benefits all users, from seasoned engineers to new operators, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.
The company’s commitment began with defining inclusive design and acknowledging its burgeoning impact, as explored in Part 1 of this series. Now, Part 2 delves into specific, actionable design solutions, spotlighting advancements in hardware design, the evolution of corporate terminology, and the strategic integration of accessibility within its common design system. A forthcoming Part 3 is slated to cover additional activities, including external web presence, localization efforts, and other software standards.
Innovating Hardware for Universal Access: Insights from Rockwell Automation’s Industrial Designers
At the heart of industrial automation lies robust hardware, meticulously engineered to endure rigorous use in unpredictable and often rugged environments. Ensuring this equipment is accessible to a diverse user base, including those with disabilities, is a critical undertaking. Alex Mummert, a Senior Industrial Designer at Rockwell Automation, highlights the multifaceted considerations involved in designing hardware that meets these stringent requirements while simultaneously maximizing accessibility.
Mummert emphasizes that the physical location of hardware – whether "on-machine" or "in-cabinet" – dictates fundamental design choices. Despite varying product use cases, a standardized approach to displaying information is crucial. This standardization, however, must not compromise accessibility. Rockwell Automation proactively designs for maximized access in diverse mounting situations by minimizing interface obstructions, optimizing viewing angles (both vertical and horizontal), and prioritizing ergonomic design.
Ergonomics plays a pivotal role. Mummert advocates for designing for the "99th percentile," meaning that grip points, pull forces, and spatial affordances are standardized to accommodate nearly the entire population without significant impediments. This involves rigorous testing, including low-fidelity ergonomic validations, such as the evaluation of an I/O module’s door-opening feature relative to adjacent cables. Such studies are essential to confirm that space allowances are appropriate for real-world use cases, ensuring that even individuals with limited dexterity or strength can interact effectively with the devices.
Considering the challenging physical characteristics of industrial environments – often cramped, poorly lit, and dirty – designs are tailored to minimize negative impacts. Modifications like adjusting cabling directions and maximizing interface legibility significantly improve daily interactions. A clear hierarchy for information, whether static labels or dynamic light indicators, is paramount. This strategic approach ensures that critical data is easily discernible even under suboptimal conditions, reducing cognitive load and potential for error.
The design of indicators and lights receives particular attention. Mummert notes the importance of ensuring users progressively understand module status the longer they interact, with the most critical information immediately apparent. To ensure inclusive color affordance, updated wavelength guidance has been developed to assist users with vision impairments. Historically, overlapping color specifications for green and yellow LEDs could cause confusion; the new guidance, coupled with increased physical spacing between LEDs, ensures distinct identification. This thoughtful placement, accounting for surrounding cables and modules, maximizes visibility and minimizes frustration during high-stress situations.
User-interface responsiveness is another key area. Features must provide distinct and consistent feedback, whether visual or physical, to confirm task completion. For instance, a locking mechanism on a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) must clearly indicate its locked or unlocked status with minimal rotation. Furthermore, designs must account for users wearing protective gear, such as gloves, which reduce tactile sensation and add bulk. Testing solutions with such gear in simulated environments is crucial to validate ergonomic viability in compact footprints.
With over 400,000 individual stock-keeping units (SKUs), maintaining a cohesive brand perception and ensuring interoperability are significant challenges. Each product, while unique in its demands, must align with a flexible design philosophy that addresses diverse user needs without compromising functionality or brand identity. This extensive consideration extends across the entire product lifecycle—from unpacking and commissioning to daily use, maintenance, and eventual replacement—emphasizing long-term usability and sustainability.
Fostering Clear Communication: Rockwell Automation’s Inclusive Terminology Initiative
Beyond physical hardware, the language used to describe and interact with industrial automation systems profoundly impacts user experience and inclusion. The technology industry, including automation, has historically perpetuated outdated and noninclusive terms, inadvertently alienating users. Rockwell Automation is spearheading an initiative to modernize its terminology, recognizing that a consistent, inclusive vocabulary is fundamental to effective communication in a globalized, diverse environment.
Elena Dunne, Senior Manager of Industry Insights and a former terminologist, has been instrumental in this effort. The initiative began by engaging with external partners, including the TerminOrgs consortium of terminologists, standards organizations, and customers who shared similar concerns. This collaborative approach ensures that proposed alternatives resonate across the industry and align with broader movements toward inclusive language. Rockwell Automation has proactively shared its evolving terminology strategy through blogs and a dedicated web page, showcasing a growing list of preferred alternatives that span various subdomains like cybersecurity, motion control, and software programming. The company has also amplified this message at industry events, including its annual Automation Fair® tradeshow, fostering "Bold Conversations" on inclusive design and accessibility.
Internally, proactive and transparent communication has been paramount. A Terminology Review Board ensures broad engagement across the organization, utilizing internal communication channels, comprehensive FAQs, and dedicated training sessions to keep employees informed and invested in the change. This internal alignment is critical for consistent application across all internal software and communications.
A cross-functional working group, comprising five distinct workstreams—research, governance, implementation, communication, and measurement—drives the initiative forward. This structured approach ensures that new terminology is thoroughly researched, consistently governed, effectively implemented across products and documentation, clearly communicated to all stakeholders, and continuously measured for impact and adoption. The objective is to embed these practices into the productization pipeline, building checks into the development process to prevent inclusive design and accessibility issues from arising in the first place. This forward-looking strategy ensures that UX and product development teams are engaged from conception, aligning with the newly formed Inclusive Design and Accessibility function led by Amber.
Building Accessibility into the Core: The Flourish Design System’s Role
Retroactively updating decades-old industrial software solutions to meet modern accessibility standards is a monumental challenge. Consequently, Rockwell Automation’s strategy focuses on embedding accessibility best practices and policies into all future releases. A cornerstone of this strategy is the Flourish Design System, an internal platform designed to ensure consistency and accessibility across all software development. Jonathon Gulbrandsen, Design System Leader at Rockwell, explains how Flourish is being leveraged to drive the adoption of accessible and inclusive practices.
Prioritization was key in integrating accessibility into the design system. The initial focus was on ensuring a proper contrast ratio for all common components, followed by robust keyboard accessibility. Keyboard accessibility, in particular, proved an easy sell to business leaders. It directly benefits "power users" – such as system designers and automation engineers who program complex operations in integrated design environments (IDEs) like FactoryTalk® Design Studio. These users often prefer the speed and efficiency of keyboard navigation over mouse interaction, which can impose physical and cognitive strain during extended workdays. By supporting users with motor impairments, Rockwell Automation simultaneously enhances the productivity of its most demanding users, a clear win-win.
To guarantee an appropriate contrast ratio, Rockwell Automation emphasizes compliance with established web standards. The company mandates that its component design process includes testing to ensure that contrast ratios meet at least AA WCAG 2.1 standards for graphics and UI components, while striving for AAA standards for text. This commitment to compliance resonates with product leaders, who recognize it as a means of building customer and user confidence, meeting the needs of diversifying workforces, and future-proofing products against evolving regulatory landscapes.
This work is an ongoing commitment. Every component within the Flourish Design System documentation now includes a dedicated accessibility section, ready for expansion as new capabilities are developed. Furthermore, the design system is being made "themeable," allowing products to offer various visual presentations, such as dark or high-contrast themes. This feature further broadens audience reach, catering to users with different visual preferences or impairments, and enhances usability in diverse environmental lighting conditions.
A Chronology of Commitment and Broader Implications
Rockwell Automation’s journey towards comprehensive inclusive design is not an overnight endeavor but a strategic, multi-year undertaking. The terminology initiative, for example, has been years in development, evolving from internal discussions within the TerminOrgs consortium to broad external engagement and internal implementation. This phased approach allows for careful consideration, stakeholder buy-in, and systematic integration across the vast product portfolio. The establishment of an Inclusive Design and Accessibility function, led by Amber, signals a formal institutionalization of these efforts, moving from ad-hoc improvements to a structured, proactive development process.
The implications of this integrated approach extend beyond enhanced user experience. By designing for the 99th percentile and adhering to WCAG standards, Rockwell Automation is not only improving safety and efficiency for its immediate users but also setting a precedent for the wider industrial automation industry. This commitment to inclusivity serves as a competitive differentiator, attracting a broader customer base and a more diverse talent pool. Companies increasingly recognize that inclusive practices are not just an ethical obligation but a strategic business advantage, fostering innovation and resilience.
Furthermore, these initiatives contribute to a more sustainable industrial future. By creating products that are easier to use, maintain, and understand for a wider range of individuals, Rockwell Automation is reducing the barriers to entry for new workers and prolonging the productive careers of experienced ones. This proactive stance on accessibility helps to address the growing skills gap in manufacturing and automation, ensuring that industrial environments remain productive and adaptable in the face of demographic shifts.
Conclusion
Aligning Rockwell Automation’s extensive industrial automation experiences with the diverse needs of its global users and employees is an ongoing, dynamic effort. The foundations laid through innovative hardware design, a meticulously evolved terminology strategy, and the robust, accessibility-infused Flourish Design System are crucial for sustaining this commitment for years to come. By consistently championing inclusive design, Rockwell Automation ensures that the momentum remains strong across all fronts, including its external web presence, critical localization efforts for global markets, and the continuous evolution of its software standards—topics that will be further explored in the upcoming Part 3 of this illuminating series. This holistic and proactive approach solidifies Rockwell Automation’s position as a leader in fostering universally accessible and human-centric industrial environments.
