About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation provides industrial automation technologies used globally. Chances are, you've interacted with something made using Rockwell equipment. Their technologies are involved in everything from helping ensure uninterrupted power and producing safe medications, to manufacturing your favorite brand of toothpaste or chips. My work focused on the users of this complex, technical software: highly specialized professionals who rely on these tools daily.

The Research Challenge

Rockwell builds tools for professionals with years of specialized experience. These users need software that matches the complexity of their work. That might mean a deep, feature-rich interface for one task or a streamlined tool for another. My job was to ensure that the technical complexity of these systems didn't break the user's actual workflow. I worked to ensure our design decisions reflected how these experts actually manage their tasks, whether they were on the plant floor or in the office.

My Role as Lead

As a Lead User Researcher, I guide research for our automation and enterprise products. My work spans the full product lifecycle, from early exploratory studies to helping shape the vision for new technologies. I don't just deliver data. I use a mix of research methods to align product and design teams around a shared understanding of our users. This allows them to make roadmap decisions with confidence.

I also mentor other researchers and help the team improve how we work. I make sure our research is right-sized for the project's risk. It needs to be credible enough to trust, but practical enough for the team to actually use.