VDMA Study
Companies focus on Usability, but struggle with limited Resources
Nine out of ten companies in mechanical and plant engineering already take usability and user experience (UX) into account. However, according to a recent VDMA study, they often lack budgets, expertise, and management support.
Intuitive user interfaces are no longer limited to consumer goods such as smartphones or household appliances but are also crucial in mechanical engineering. A short study by VDMA Software and Digitalization shows: 90% of the surveyed companies now integrate usability and UX into their product development.
However, the results also highlight significant hurdles. 59% of respondents stated that their budgets are insufficient. 48% reported a lack of technical expertise, and 40% cited insufficient management support. “Good usability is invisible—bad usability costs market share. When done right, usability makes complex technology understandable at a glance, drastically reduces training efforts, and prevents costly operating errors and production downtimes,” emphasizes Florian Klein, Software Engineering Advisor at VDMA.
The study also shows that 46% of companies employ their own UX staff. One-third rely on external expertise—an indication that software companies and design agencies are in demand in this field.
The Results in Detail
When designing human-machine interfaces, respondents cited three core aspects:
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Clear and well-structured user interfaces that make information quickly accessible.
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Intuitive usability, allowing systems to be operated without extensive instructions.
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Consistency across devices and platforms, so that users encounter the same patterns regardless of the device.
Looking to future developments, 92% of companies expect a boost from AI-supported assistance systems. 88% see potential in virtual assistants, and 69% in adaptive user interfaces. This brings adaptive, self-learning human-machine interfaces (HMIs) closer, which support operators depending on the situation, enable maintenance via augmented reality glasses, and adapt in real time to the user’s level of experience or role.
Further findings:
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66% consider UX aspects mainly in the development phase.
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69% of companies have standardized design guidelines.
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Most rely on touchscreens or multitouch displays as interfaces.
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58% measure the success of their UX measures by customer satisfaction. However, many do not yet conduct systematic success measurement.
The survey included 69 individuals from companies of various sizes. Around two-thirds (64%) of the participants came from the mechanical engineering sector.
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