Drives Division Discovery – Rockwell Automation
Client: Rockwell Automation
Division: Drives
Role: UX Researcher & Strategist
Project Type: Discovery & Strategy
Timeline: 6 months (two Pis - product increments)
Challenge
The Drives Division at Rockwell Automation needed to define how its products should integrate with the broader control ecosystem, specifically with the flagship Studio 5000 software suite.
This initiative required deep discovery to align cross-functional teams and inform long-term product direction—while also understanding technical user needs.
Empathising with Users
To build empathy and uncover real user needs, we conducted field research with engineers at Procter & Gamble, Rockwell’s largest client.
Research Activities:
- In-context interviews with controller engineers
- Persona mindset development
- Exploration of collaboration patterns between software and control teams
This helped define user mental models and friction points in using Drives software in isolation or in conjunction with Studio 5000.
Concept Development
To explore future possibilities, the team created a series of concepts and prototypes, covering:
- Integrated workflow designs (Drives + Controllers + Studio 5000)
- Standalone Drives use cases
- Innovative feature ideas for long-term strategy
Decision-Making Workshop
After three months of discovery, we facilitated a full-day decision-making workshop with internal stakeholders and the client.
Goals:
- Align on strategic direction
- Evaluate concepts collaboratively
- Define near-term product milestones
- Maintain momentum across teams
Outcomes
- Next steps defined and locked at the end of the session
- The Drives team chose not to pursue full IDE integration
- Instead, limited functionality was scoped via FactoryTalk DesignSuite for specific lightweight tasks
Results
- 6 quick UX fixes implemented before launch
- Confirmation that a digital approach was feasible and welcomed by users
- Improved cross-team visibility into user needs and consent flow complexity
- Prepared foundation for future improvements: mobile support, analytics, localization
Reflection
This project underscored the value of discovery-led strategy in enterprise software. Spending time with technical users at P&G helped anchor product conversations in reality—not assumptions.
Facilitated collaboration and shared prototypes provided a shared language for decision-making between Drives, IDE teams, and leadership.
Summary
Area | Outcome |
User Research | Validated real needs from controller engineers |
Cross-team alignment | Workshop led to clear prioritisation |
Strategy | Focused scope, no full IDE integration |
Future Work | Incremental improvements via DesignSuite |