Trailblazing User Experience in the Process Industry

With a long and profound history as a supplier of reliable machined parts and systems, the SAMSON AG is an established global manufacturer for systems and applications for the process industry, district energy and other critical infrastructures and markets involving flowing media in harsh and hazardous environments.

The development of its digital- and connected portfolio is increasingly an important pivoting point for the company’s future. Over the last five years ma ma has been involved in projects ranging from simple interface design to drafting a complex company-wide user experience framework. The core of our cooperation has revolved around digital product development, co-designing and prototyping new digital key technologies and platforms highly relevant for managing plant safety, and creating an interconnected digital product and service ecosystem.

Working closely together over a sustained period of time with SAMSON and industry experts, we have established the nucleus of a product planning and development strategy rooted in user experience and design thinking, requisite for their digital future.

Year
2015-2020

Critical Infrastructure
Digitalization
Design Strategy
User Research
User-centered Design

Interface Design for District Energy

Our first project with SAMSON was the design of a touch-based user interface for a Control and Automation Unit. Used for heat distribution, building automation or solar thermal systems, the unit is freely programmable, managing and controlling heating and cooling for single-use applications as well as for entire districts or cities when interconnected.

Digital Technology Exploration

Moving towards digitalization and Industry 4.0, SAMSON entrusted ma ma to devise the blueprint for a mobile application prototype and its user experience and usability that made use of their new bluetooth low energy smart connector-technology.

Using the app, field agents and plant workers can now check on every field device monitoring and supervising device performance – during operation and in real time – directly in the field, including in explosion-protected and hazardous areas of production sites.

ma ma devised a demonstrator-app for explosion-proof tablets and smartphones to identify and evaluate the unique opportunities and risks that come with connected technologies in the process industry sector.

Through rapid prototyping and early stakeholder responses, including service staff in the field, we were able to assess the implications, risks and opportunities of the technology and its innovative application. The resulting functional prototype created a space for discussion among experts and users, showcasing SAMSON’s future digital product strategy.

Developing a Design Strategy

In the course of our collaboration, we have engaged in a wide variety of projects from across the process industry. As we have acquired multiple insights, we have also gained a deep understanding of SAMSON‘s product strategy and development. Increasingly ma ma has become involved in a wide variety of projects and topics, counseling SAMSON in design and user experience-related questions.

With SAMSON gradually embracing user-centric decision-making and product development, we co-created an outline for a company-wide user experience framework. We complemented the prevailing product lifecycle management process with user-centered processes, methods and tools to help SAMSON develop products and software with user experience and people in mind.