Beyond the screen: Rethinking machine interfaces in high-stakes environments
Thoughtful interface design in complex machines isn’t just about usability, it’s about enabling clarity, confidence, and performance where it matters most.
Interfaces, everywhere
We encounter machine interfaces in all corners of our ordinary day-to-day lives. The coffee maker on our countertop, the ticket machine at the station, the never-quite-behaving printer on our desk, the collection of controls in our car. The quality of a device’s interface can be as impactful on our experience as a badly brewed latte or a missed train. What seem like subtle design and engineering decisions can shape moments of delight or frustration in ways we often don’t consciously notice. We now also expect every machine to perform as smoothly and as intelligently as the smartphone in our pockets.
Safety is essential, but good design should aim higher
At Mettle, we have the pleasure of working with some particularly extraordinary machines: cell and gene therapy bioreactors; equipment that tests antimicrobial resistance via blood samples; high-risk calorimeters and battery testing systems. The interfaces on these kinds of hardware are a crucial component of safety, reliability and functional efficacy. What we tend to see in these industries, however, is that this is where the thinking on interface design stops. Make it work, make it safe: job done.
And, to an extent, rightly so. Safety is non-negotiable. But it shouldn’t be the ceiling. Great interfaces, especially in high-stakes domains, don’t just prevent harm. They enable clarity, speed, and better decision-making; all whilst being a genuine joy to use, too.
Beyond the effect on human operators, we also believe that businesses deserve digital and physical interfaces that embody the innovative and cutting-edge technologies they are creating. We have seen too often that state-of-the-art R&D is being let down by dated, clunky and confusing interfaces that feel (or, in some cases, are) decades old.
Designing with MFX
This thinking shapes how we partner with forward-thinking hardware teams – like MFX, who see their GUI not just as a means of control, but as an enabler of innovation and a chance to stand out.
MFX have been committed to a high quality experience for their hardware operators from the very start of their journey. Their pioneering work to create hardware that accelerates cell and gene therapy development has given rise to novel processes that need to be accessible for operators to set up and control. We have been their GUI design and development partners since they started work on their second prototype; pairing our technical expertise with our human-centred process to create an interface that can be picked up in an instant whilst remaining true to MFX’s groundbreaking science.
From the get-go, we were tasked to create something as slick as current consumer apps – a mantra we have carried with us as we’ve worked dynamically with the MFX team through each hardware iteration of the last three years. Each prototype has brought new features, each needing to blend into the whole experience whilst maintaining a coherent and high-quality look, feel and function. Throughout, we’ve been able to help operators adapt quickly and scale their workflows.
In such situations where the number of hardware features is increasing, it is easy for GUI’s to become cluttered and full of information or controls vying for attention. Not here. By tweaking the hierarchy of what’s on screen, curating the various layers of information, and taking a holistic approach to the full experience of use, we continue to deploy effective and accessible interfaces on MFX hardware.
Designing with iFAST
Where MFX is focused on supporting scientists to explore novel and varied experiment protocols, our work with iFAST is all about empowering technicians to execute a standard process consistently and reliably, every time.
iFast have developed an antimicrobial susceptibility test that delivers results in 3-4 hours from a blood or urine sample. We built an interface centred around their mission to deliver life-saving results faster, enabling targeted antibiotic treatments for patients on day one. With many of Mettle’s design team hailing from former lives as engineers and scientists, we were able to quickly get to grips with the intricacies of the testing process and begin crafting an interface that balances ease-of-use with confidence in the data and controls.
Design deserves a seat at the table
A machine’s interface, be it a digital screen or physical controls, is often the first thing people notice. Our varied technical and creative backgrounds feel like a superpower when it comes to making the complex not just clear, not just usable, but beautiful and a pleasure to use. Excellent interfaces give users confidence in the quality of the whole system, excite investors about its potential, and ensure the science beneath can make a real impact.
Our advice to teams building hardware in the future is to give it the attention it deserves from the very start. Instead of letting it become an after-thought, grab it as an opportunity to fully showcase the brilliant research and development that lies beneath. Here are three great ways to get a head start on this:
Anchor onto human behaviour. The way hardware functions doesn’t always match the mental model of its users – by understanding their perspectives early, we can ensure their experience feels intuitive, reduces friction, and aligns with the natural ways they expect to interact.
Less really is more. Cognitive overload is the most frequent and most damaging issue we encounter with many machine interfaces. Identify the most important and commonly used information and controls in a system and put them front-and-centre for operators; everything else can be revealed progressively or as part of a specific operational situation. The power of “accessing everything in just one click” is a dangerous myth, especially with complex, potentially dangerous machines.
Make it beautiful. There’s a lot more to a great interface than just its looks, but it’s important to understand that people perceive more attractive interfaces as easier to use, even if functionality is identical. Great visuals are not a luxury, they’re as important as its function and the feel of its experience. (Read more about the aesthetic-usability effect here, here and here.)
As technology continues to become more incredible in all industries, we have a responsibility to ensure it’s as effective, as accessible and as joyful to use as possible.
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