The success of design icons such as the iPhone has shown that user-friendliness is the key to market success. RAUTEC GmbH from Bielefeld also recognized this and entered into a partnership with Fraunhofer IOSB-INA to redesign its RAUTEC Remote remote maintenance system.
RAUTEC, a specialist in industrial automation, offers an innovative solution for wired and wireless remote maintenance of networked industrial plants with the RAUTEC Remote System. This reduces costs, enables location-independent monitoring and secures communication through encrypted VPN connections.
In Industry 4.0, user-friendly software is essential to cope with increasing complexity. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often do not have the resources to invest in comprehensive usability and UX, although customers are increasingly demanding such qualities.
The project comprised four main steps:
- Mock-Up: Recording of functional and non-functional requirements and their implementation in a mock-up.
- Conception: Development of a process flow diagram as a blueprint for the software prototype based on the mock-up data.
- Application: Creation of a functional prototype that was tested, evaluated and optimized for usability.
- Roll-Out and Deployment: Implementation of the software at practical partners and collection of customer feedback for further optimization.
Thanks to the systematic approach and expertise of Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, both RAUTEC GmbH and its customers were able to benefit from the improved user interface. Service employees reported simplified handling and faster problem solving, while customers appreciated the user-friendliness.