The OpenBridge Design System is a toolbox of design guidelines designed to improve the user experience on board ships, ultimately enabling safer maritime operations. These guidelines are based on ongoing research from multiple academic partners and are designed to reduce human error and improve operational efficiency.

OpenBridge design system analysis

Efficient user interface design is critical for all applications, especially safety-critical applications in the maritime sector. However, there are additional challenges associated with user interface integration in advanced workplaces, which must also be considered. Many maritime workplaces have multiple systems integrated into a single workplace, often designed independently by individual manufacturers, and even if each system is well designed, users must understand and master how the different user interfaces in the workplace operate. Inconsistent design is a well-known challenge in user interface design, which can increase the chances of user error, reduce efficiency, and cause a slower learning system. Therefore, it is essential to establish consistent design principles and standards to ensure the seamless integration of multiple systems in the workplace.

How can user experience design improve efficiency?

In response to this issue, OpenBridge design guidelines have been developed to support all workplaces on board ships, as well as land-based workplaces for maritime operations. The project is led by Professor Kjetil Nordby of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (www.openbridge.no). These guidelines provide tools and methods to streamline the implementation, design and approval process for maritime workplaces and equipment.

The OpenBridge design system and its associated guidelines provide a valuable framework for achieving this goal in the maritime industry. By following OpenBridge standards, designers can reduce user errors, increase efficiency, and simplify the learning process for operators. Ultimately, a well-designed and well-integrated user interface will help improve safety and productivity in the maritime industry.

Festim Zuta, user experience Designer at Nord, said: “The goal of OpenBridge design guidelines is to ensure a consistent user experience that helps operators immediately understand the information they are seeing, making it easier to identify errors, switch between systems easily, reduce the risk of misunderstanding, and simplify the decision-making process. These design elements are based on the results of research in the maritime field.”

By following OpenBridge design guidelines, suppliers can optimize their development processes, costs, and improve the user experience for operators, ultimately contributing to greater safety and efficiency in the maritime industry.

OpenBridge templates are available for iX and Beier Electronics HMIs

Beier Electronics recently launched a template on SmartStore that follows OpenBridge principles, a resource that serves as a valuable example of how to design maritime graphics in iX according to OpenBridge design guidelines.

OpenBridge offers a design guide and hundreds of free ICONS for the maritime user interface, all of which can be used with the Figma design tool.

Festim said: “The iX OpenBridge template is a guide and example of how our customers can implement the OpenBridge Guidelines on iX and their Hmis. For example, you can find different menu backgrounds made in four different color styles to suit the lighting conditions when operating at sea: night, dusk, day and harsher daytime environments.”

If you want to design a modern and user-friendly HMI application that is not just for the Marine industry, the iX OpenBridge template is the perfect choice.

“We’re seeing that simple features like Dark mode are becoming more popular with users, and with this template, you don’t need to spend time designing the placement of buttons, ICONS or menu bars, which are already provided and configured in the OpenBridge design!” Festim said.

Use OpenBridge with WebIQ

With its web-based technology, WebIQ enables you to create your own gadgets using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. WebIQ uses a modern suite system that handles package dependencies and updates easily. If you want to use third-party libraries such as OpenBridge, you can refer to the documentation to learn how to build your own management suite in WebIQ.

Festim Zuta said: “During the recent pandemic, Figma design tools became the next big thing in UX design. Figma is a free web-based tool with many collaboration features that make it easier for teams to collaborate remotely, and it’s now the leading platform for designing digital user interfaces and simulations, which is where OpenBridge built their library.”