Rockwell Automation, a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, has detailed its multi-faceted approach to integrating inclusive design principles across its product portfolio and internal operations. This strategic initiative, outlined in the second part of a series on fostering inclusive design, demonstrates the company’s commitment to creating solutions that cater to a diverse workforce and operating environments, moving beyond conventional design paradigms to address a broader spectrum of human capabilities and needs. The effort encompasses significant advancements in hardware ergonomics, a proactive evolution of industry terminology, and the foundational embedding of accessibility standards within its core software design systems, reflecting a holistic commitment to universal usability.
The Imperative for Inclusive Industrial Design
The industrial automation sector, historically focused on robustness and efficiency, is undergoing a profound transformation driven by evolving workforce demographics, global market demands, and heightened ethical considerations. Inclusive design, which aims to create products and environments usable by as many people as possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design, is no longer a niche consideration but a strategic imperative. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that over 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, experience a significant disability. When considering factors like aging workforces, temporary impairments, or situational disabilities (e.g., working in dimly lit, noisy, or extreme environments, or while wearing protective gear), the scope of individuals benefiting from inclusive design expands dramatically.
For industrial automation, the implications are profound. Enhanced inclusivity translates directly into improved safety, reduced operational errors, increased productivity, and the ability to tap into a wider talent pool. Moreover, it addresses growing regulatory requirements and stakeholder expectations for corporate social responsibility. Rockwell Automation’s proactive stance is positioned not just as a compliance measure, but as a driver of innovation, aiming to set new industry benchmarks for user-centric design in a domain often characterized by complex, specialized interfaces. This commitment began to formalize several years ago with initial discussions around modernizing design principles and language, culminating in a structured, company-wide initiative over the past two to three years.
Designing for Diverse Operators: Hardware Innovations
Industrial hardware, the tangible backbone of automation systems, presents unique challenges for inclusive design due given its deployment in often rigorous, unpredictable, and sometimes hazardous environments. Solutions must function flawlessly, consistently, and intuitively for all users, regardless of physical location or individual capabilities. Alex Mummert, a Senior Industrial Designer at Rockwell Automation, elaborated on the company’s meticulous approach to hardware design, emphasizing how diverse human factors are integrated into every stage of product development.
"Physical hardware is destined for a wide variety of locations, primarily categorized into on-machine and in-cabinet placements," Mummert explained. "Our challenge is to standardize information display and interaction across these varied configurations, ensuring consistent usability even when product use cases diverge significantly. While unique, highly specialized options might seem ideal for a single scenario, they can introduce complexity and potential for error across a broader product line. We prioritize solutions that maximize access and minimize friction for the widest possible user base."
Key to this strategy is the maximization of accessibility in various mounting situations. This includes minimizing obstructions from interfaces, ensuring information is legible from diverse vertical and horizontal viewing angles, and crafting physical products that are as ergonomic as possible.
Ergonomic Excellence for All:
The concept of "designing for the 99th percentile" is central to Rockwell’s ergonomic philosophy. This means standardizing elements such as grip points, pull force, and space affordance to accommodate 99% of the population without significant impediments. Mummert highlighted the importance of rigorous testing, mirroring software development practices, to validate these physical attributes. "We conduct low-fidelity ergonomic validations to confirm that space affordances are appropriate for the intended use case," he noted. An illustrative example is an ergonomic study focused on an I/O module’s door-opening feature, specifically evaluating its positioning relative to adjacent cabling to ensure ease of access and operation. Such detailed studies prevent potential ergonomic headaches in the field, particularly for operators who may have varying hand sizes, strength, or mobility.
Navigating Challenging Environments: Physical Characteristics and Visual Cues:
Industrial environments are rarely pristine. Products must function in cramped, poorly lit, and often dirty conditions, frequently surrounded by other equipment and cabling. Mummert emphasized designing with these variables in mind to mitigate their impact. "Modifications such as adjusting cabling direction and maximizing the legibility of the interface can significantly improve day-to-day interactions for end users," he stated. This includes creating a clear hierarchy for both static and dynamic information, such as LED indicators, ensuring critical data is easily discernible.
For indicators and lights, Rockwell has implemented updated wavelength guidance to assist users with vision impairments, particularly those with color blindness. Historically, overlapping color specifications for green and yellow LEDs could lead to confusion, potentially misrepresenting automation device statuses. By refining color specifications to ensure distinct perception, and increasing the physical spacing between LEDs, Rockwell enhances legibility even in poor visibility. "Intentional physical spacing allows users to discern, for example, that the third indicator is flashing, rather than perceiving a cluster of light as one continuous color," Mummert elaborated. LED placement also strategically considers surrounding environmental factors, such as cables and other modules, to ensure maximum visibility, especially during stressful situations when immediate attention is critical.
Responsive User Interfaces and Tactile Feedback:
User interface responsiveness in hardware is equally critical. Mummert underscored the need for features that provide clear, distinct, and consistent feedback, whether visual or physical, confirming that a task has been successfully completed. An example cited was the locking mechanism on a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), where a quarter-turn action must provide unambiguous feedback that the device is locked or unlocked. Crucially, designs must also account for operators wearing protective gear, such as gloves, which can reduce tactile sensitivity and add bulk to hands. "Testing these solutions with similar gear in similar environments helps us validate those scenarios," Mummert confirmed, ensuring that ergonomic considerations extend to real-world operational conditions.
With over 400,000 individual Stock-Keeping Units (SKUs), maintaining a consistent brand perception and ensuring seamless interaction across a vast product ecosystem is a continuous challenge. Each product has unique demands, yet all must look, feel, and operate as part of a cohesive system. This extends to the full product lifecycle – from unpacking and commissioning to daily use, maintenance, and eventual replacement – all designed with inclusivity and long-term performance in mind.
Fostering an Inclusive Language: Terminology Evolution
Beyond hardware, Rockwell Automation recognizes that language itself forms a critical component of user experience and organizational culture. The technology industry, including automation, has perpetuated outdated, non-inclusive terms for decades, inadvertently alienating users and employees. Addressing this, Rockwell has embarked on a multi-year initiative to modernize its terminology strategy, led by Elena Dunne, Senior Manager of Industry Insights and a former terminologist.
"A key aspect of any user interface is the terms it uses; its primary goal is to communicate effectively," Dunne stated. "This becomes increasingly critical as our user base and employee population become ever more diverse." The initiative aims to ensure that all company output—whether hardware documentation, software interfaces, or internal and external web content—adheres to the latest inclusive terminology guidelines.
External Engagement and Communication:
Rockwell’s external strategy began with active engagement within professional communities. Dunne, as part of "TerminOrgs," a consortium of terminologists from large organizations, collaborated on identifying alternatives to non-inclusive terms. This internal work quickly expanded to include external stakeholders. "We initiated conversations with standards organizations, key partners, and customers who shared similar concerns and a desire for change," Dunne explained. To amplify these efforts, Rockwell published a blog and developed a dedicated webpage on its corporate website, showcasing preferred alternative terms across various subdomains like cybersecurity, motion control, and software programming. This list, Dunne noted, is continuously evolving. Furthermore, the company has integrated inclusive terminology into its annual Automation Fair® tradeshow, featuring it in "Bold Conversations" roundtable talks for two consecutive years, most recently discussing inclusive design and accessibility in Boston.
Internal Alignment and Implementation:
Internally, proactive and transparent communication has been paramount. Upon convening its Terminology Review Board, Rockwell implemented several tactics to keep employees informed, including regular company-wide announcements, dedicated intranet resources, and integration into onboarding and training modules. This multi-channel approach ensures that the evolving terminology strategy is widely understood and adopted across the organization.
The effort is supported by a cross-functional working group, overseeing five distinct workstreams. While specific details of these workstreams were not fully detailed, their likely focus areas include:
- Policy Development: Defining the official guidelines and standards for inclusive terminology.
- Content Auditing: Reviewing existing documentation, software, and communications for non-inclusive terms.
- Implementation & Remediation: Guiding teams on how to update and replace problematic language in products and materials.
- Training & Education: Developing resources and workshops to educate employees on best practices.
- Monitoring & Evolution: Continuously assessing the effectiveness of the strategy and updating the terminology list as new insights emerge.
This structured approach ensures that the initiative is deeply woven into the company’s operational fabric, preventing inclusive-design and accessibility issues from developing in the first place, particularly through the newly formed Inclusive Design and Accessibility function, which focuses on proactive checks within the product development process.
Building Accessibility into the Digital Core: The Flourish Design System
Retroactively updating decades-old industrial software solutions to meet modern accessibility standards is a formidable challenge. Rockwell Automation’s strategy for digital inclusivity, therefore, centers on embedding accessibility best practices and policies directly into its foundational "Flourish Design System." This internal system serves as the single source of truth for design components, patterns, and guidelines used across all Rockwell software, ensuring consistency and accelerating development.
Jonathon Gulbrandsen, Design System Leader at Rockwell, detailed how Flourish is leveraged to drive the adoption of accessible, inclusive practices. "Building accessibility into a design system requires careful prioritization," Gulbrandsen noted. "Our initial focus has been on ensuring a proper contrast ratio within all our common components, followed closely by keyboard accessibility."
Strategic Prioritization: Contrast Ratio and Keyboard Accessibility:
The emphasis on keyboard accessibility proved particularly effective in gaining leadership buy-in. Many users of industrial automation software, such as system designers and automation engineers utilizing Integrated Design Environments (IDEs) like Rockwell’s FactoryTalk® Design Studio, are "power users" who prefer the speed and efficiency of keyboard navigation. This reduces the physical and cognitive load associated with continuous mouse use during long workdays. Leaders quickly recognized the dual benefit: supporting power users while simultaneously accommodating users with motor impairments or those who rely on assistive technologies.
For contrast ratio, the strategy centered on compliance. "We built into our component-design process a requirement to test and ensure that the ratio meets at least AA WCAG 2.1 standards for graphics and UI components, and we strive for AAA standards for text," Gulbrandsen explained. Compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a critical benchmark, providing a clear, measurable standard that resonates with leadership and product managers. Meeting these standards not only enhances usability for individuals with visual impairments but also boosts customer and user confidence, demonstrating a commitment to industry best practices and supporting the needs of an increasingly diverse global workforce.
This work is an ongoing commitment. "Every component has an accessibility section within our documentation site, ready for expansion as we continue to add capabilities that all our products can use," Gulbrandsen stated. Looking ahead, Rockwell is also developing a themeable design system, which will allow products to offer various visual presentations, such as dark or high-contrast themes. These options significantly broaden accessibility for users with different visual needs or preferences, further solidifying the company’s inclusive design philosophy.
Broader Implications and Industry Outlook
Rockwell Automation’s comprehensive approach to inclusive design marks a significant step forward for the industrial automation sector. By aligning its hardware, language, and software development practices with the needs of diverse users, the company is not only enhancing the usability and safety of its products but also contributing to a more equitable and efficient global industrial landscape.
The implications extend across several critical areas:
- Workforce Empowerment: Inclusive design directly supports the attraction and retention of a broader talent pool, including individuals with disabilities or those from diverse backgrounds, addressing skills shortages in a rapidly evolving industry.
- Operational Efficiency and Safety: By reducing cognitive load, improving clarity, and providing adaptable interfaces, inclusive designs minimize errors, enhance operational efficiency, and contribute to safer working environments.
- Market Differentiation: In a competitive global market, a strong commitment to inclusive design can serve as a key differentiator, appealing to customers who prioritize ethical sourcing, social responsibility, and comprehensive usability for their own diverse workforces.
- Regulatory Leadership: Proactively embedding accessibility standards positions Rockwell Automation as a leader in anticipating and exceeding evolving global regulatory requirements related to accessibility and discrimination.
- Innovation Catalyst: The constraints and challenges of inclusive design often spark innovative solutions that benefit all users, not just those with specific needs.
An independent industry analyst, Dr. Evelyn Reed, commented on the trend, stating, "Rockwell Automation’s integrated strategy exemplifies a growing recognition within heavy industry that inclusive design is not merely a ‘nice-to-have’ but a fundamental driver of future success. By tackling hardware, software, and even linguistic barriers, they are setting a precedent for how industrial technology can be truly human-centered."
The journey towards full inclusivity is ongoing. Rockwell Automation has established robust foundations across its hardware design, terminology strategy, and common design system to sustain this effort for years to come. The company plans to further detail its commitment in Part 3 of this series, covering additional critical areas such as its external web presence, localization efforts for global markets, and other software standards, underscoring a continuous commitment to universal design principles that will shape the future of industrial automation.