It is clear that Industry 4.0 is changing our world and will continue to do so. Everyone is talking about this revolution, but no one knows its true face. What exactly is Industry 4.0? We felt the urgent need to make this term tangible: What does Industrie 4.0 mean for each and every one of us? How will Industrie 4.0 change our habits and processes? – In our private lives as well as in the working world? What influence will this development have on future products? Will we use products completely differently than we do today?

As industrial and interface designers, we need to be able to answer changing usage scenarios in the future. In an increasingly technological environment, people will be guided more and more by products. It is therefore all the more important that these products give them the feeling of being understood. In our view, this can only be achieved through holistic design, i.e. the holistic design of human-machine interfaces as a logical unit consisting of hardware and software. We want to and have to meet the changed requirements with regard to usability, ergonomics and operating procedures. This is a challenge that we have accepted and that will keep us busy for the next few years.