The Crucial Role of UX in the Design of Software Robots

Nevertheless, such facilities provide much-needed jobs—adding economic stability to society—so we should not negate their value. This is why it is critical that we do not characterize the use of RPA or artificial intelligence as technology that reduces human work or, at worst, whose intended purpose is to harm humans. Instead, we should look at software robots as technology that we’re designing to support the work of human beings. Software robots can help users to do their work more efficiently and, in many cases, more accurately than they could by themselves. A well-designed, well-executed software robot frees up a user to do more challenging things and, thus, adds business value.

Where Does UX Come into Play?

Earlier, I described a well-designed software robot. Good design does not just happen. A UX designer needs to design the robot well. If the users of such robots do not have a smooth experience when operating them, they’ll consider the execution of the automated task a failure. To begin with, if a task is not well suited to the use of RPA, the robot will be set up for failure. UX designers must identify the right tasks to automate, create a natural way of automating them, and provide a seamless user experience. This speaks to the heart of design thinking and is what most designers have been trained to do. Designing robots requires that we look beyond form or component design and instead focus on gaining a deeper understanding of human behaviors and actions, as well as the concerns of individuals, groups, and the business. A robotics UX designer essentially designs human-support systems that increase the efficiency of users and reduce their work’s cycle time.

As is the case for most new technologies, the design process remains fundamentally the same for software robots: research, prototype, and test—repeating these steps early and often, in both parallel and nonlinear tracks.

Research is one area that derives great benefit from a UX design approach. New technology tends to breed the belief that we have a magic bullet to solve all business ills. However, this is simply not the case. We need to do research to prove that simply deploying a software robot to execute a task does not automatically translate into a cost or effort savings for the business. Which processes are mature and stable enough for RPA? What business goals do we want to achieve by automating a process? Does automating a process allow other people within the organization to better apply their skills? The answers to all of these questions and more provide great examples of opportunities for user and task research to come into play. They also highlight the importance of engaging UX design resources.

A great deal of trial and testing is necessary before deciding upon the final automation process. We, as UX designers, need to come up with potential design solutions, then test them to see which solution fits best, and finally, feed our learnings back into the design to ensure that the user experience is what users both need and expect.

Conclusion

The UX designer has a critical role to play within the larger business—regardless of whether RPA is a factor. Trying to push back against the adoption of RPA or artificial intelligence won’t get UX designers very far because of the demonstrable value of these technologies to the business. So, instead of fearing the development of these new technologies, we need to champion them and embrace the many ways in which we can use them. By doing this and internalizing the fact that there is a deep need for UX design expertise in creating such software solutions, we will be in a much better position to influence and shape their successful adoption.