who is OpenBridge for?Design and build high-performance interfaces for industrial workplaces.
OpenBridge is an open-source design system for industrial human-machine interfaces. Built on modern UI principles, maritime regulations, and human-centered design, it ensures consistent, safe, and efficient interfaces across complex systems.
OpenBridge for Designers
OpenBridge provides designers with a structured, user-centered design system tailored to maritime needs. It includes clear guidelines, design patterns, color palettes, and component libraries that support consistent and efficient interface creation. Designers can ensure their solutions meet demanding industry requirements — such as visibility in varying lighting conditions, readability, and safety standards.
OpenBridge for Developers
OpenBridge offers robust support for software developers through a comprehensive library of reusable, standardized UI components — simplifying and accelerating the development process. These components are compatible with widely used development tools, enabling rapid prototyping and implementation of maritime-specific digital applications. By leveraging OpenBridge, developers can focus on building unique, value-added functionalities instead of recreating standard interface elements.
The problem to solveStandardizing a fragmented industry
OpenBridge targets the widespread fragmentation of user interfaces across industrial systems through standardization and shared design principles. The result is more consistent, usable, and efficient systems — the OpenBridge standard.
The challenges in the industry
The maritime industry faces major challenges in integrating digital user interfaces. There are often dozens of systems onboard a ship, and each has its own interface, interaction patterns, and way of presenting information. This inconsistency leads to high training costs, reduced efficiency, and increased risk of accidents. Fatigue, difficult work conditions, poor lighting, and lack of standards make usability even worse, affecting safety and operations.
How OpenBridge addresses these challenges
OpenBridge creates a standard for application structure, styling, icons, and information visualization across systems. Since the launch in 2020, it has brought proven design principles from web and mobile into industrial settings, ensuring consistent, accessible, and usable interfaces across systems. Developed with input from industry, academia, and the government, OpenBridge provides practical tools and guidelines that reduce development time and cost, and makes operations safer.
Open-sourceA free and public standard for industrial UI
OpenBridge is an open-source design system developed with the industry, for the industry. Our open model ensures that maritime UI design evolves through shared experience, not isolated innovation.
Why open source?
OpenBridge is open-source because the maritime industry needs shared standards, not siloed solutions. By opening up the design system, we invite continuous improvement, shared ownership, and broader alignment across shipbuilders, tech providers, and regulators. Everyone benefits from the same foundation, and no one is left behind.
How it works and who it’s for
The OpenBridge system is available to use, adapt, and contribute to. Designers can work directly in Figma using the OpenBridge Library. Developers can access code through our GitHub repositories. Feedback and improvements are gathered continuously through our community channels (Slack and Discord)
OpenBridge is developed and maintained through a network of research projects, industry partnerships, and real-world testing. Whether you're designing for ships, remote ops, or future autonomous systems, OpenBridge is your base.
Regulations and approvalHow OpenBridge aligns with industry regulations
OpenBridge aligns with key international maritime standards. Below are the primary regulations and best practices considered in the development of the design guideline.
Current regulation
The design guideline is developed to ensure adherence to minimum mandatory industry rules and regulations for HMI design. Developed with policy and classification stakeholders, the guideline ensures regulatory relevance through analysis of current design regulations and ongoing industry developments. Our vision is that companies implementing the OpenBridge Design Guideline will automatically meet current international rules.
OpenBridge approval?
OpenBridge is still evolving, and no formal approval process exists yet. A voluntary compliance scheme may be introduced to ensure quality and proper application of the guidelines, which require HMI design expertise to implement effectively.
Considered regulations in OpenBridge
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SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 15
Bridge design, navigational systems/equipment, and proceduresMSC/Circ.982
Ergonomic criteria for bridge equipment and layoutMSC.1/Circ.1609 (S-Mode)
Standardization of User Interface Design for Navigation Equipment -
IEC 62288:2014
Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems – Presentation of navigation-related information on shipborne displays. Specifies general requirements, testing methods, and required test results.IEC 62923-1 and 2
Bridge Alert Management (BAM) -
ISA 101
Human-Machine Interfaces in manufacturing applications -
WCAG 2.1
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines -
Google Material v3
Icon design guideline
This is not a complete list of sources for the OpenBridge Design Guidelines. For equipment-specific designs or systems, refer to the relevant regulations and performance standards.
Why OpenBridge Exists
Our mission and vision define the foundation of OpenBridge, why it was created, and where it’s heading.
Mission Designing for clarity, safety, and the future
OpenBridge’s mission is to improve the design of maritime and safety-critical systems through open, user-centered standards. By offering modular, reusable components and clear design principles, we empower designers and developers to create interfaces that enhance safety, usability, and operational clarity across the maritime industry.
vision A unified standard for all maritime interfaces
Our vision is a maritime future where all ships, systems, and workstations speak the same visual language. A future where operators can trust that every interface — no matter the manufacturer — is consistent, ergonomic, and built for the demands of high-stakes environments. Through openness and collaboration, OpenBridge aims to make this vision a shared reality.
Research timelineThe OpenBridge Research Projects
OpenBridge is the result of continuous research and development led by the Ocean Industries Concept Lab at AHO. Since 2017, we have worked with global industry partners and research councils to establish a safer, more efficient design standard for maritime workplaces.
2025–2030: MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity
MishMash will create, explore, and reflect on AI for, through, and in creative practices. This includes the expansion of OpenBridge to better support multimodal interactions in industrial workplaces.
Funded by the Research Council of Norway. Project no. 357438
2025–2030: Norwegian Maritime AI Centre (MAI)
MAI will operationalise AI across the maritime value chains, from ship design and construction to navigation, logistics, and maintenance. This expands OpenBridge to better support the interaction of human operators with AI-driven agents and AI technology.
Funded by the Research Council of Norway. Project no. 359242
2026–2029: OpenDesign
This project focuses on scalable, human-centred, and risk-informed design for zero-emission ships. OpenDesign will open-source two hydrogen-powered ship design cases, providing processes and design outputs freely to the maritime community.
Funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation. Grant no. ES\100013
2023–2027: OpenZero
Design for energy-conscious and safe maritime operations. This expands OpenBridge to better support energy-conscious decision-making in maritime operations.
Funded by the Research Council of Norway. Project no. 344160
2023–2027: OpenRemote
Harmonising design of remote-connected maritime workstations. This expansion of OpenBridge enables design for remote and autonomous shipping, and a network of connected workplaces.
Funded by the Research Council of Norway. Project no. 336398
2021–2025: OpenAR
Framework for augmented reality in advanced maritime operations. This expansion of OpenBridge enables design with and for augmented reality applications.
Funded by the Research Council of Norway. Project no. 320247
2019–2022: ODES
The OpenBridge Design System project established a larger consortium and led to the first global, public open-source release in March 2020.
Funded by the Research Council of Norway. Project no. 296151
2017–2020: SEDNA
Safe maritime operations under extreme conditions in the Arctic. This involved applying OpenBridge to specific cases, such as the use of augmented reality to support arctic navigation.
Funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme. Grant no. 723526
2017–2019: OpenBridge
Focused on open innovation to enable a consistent user experience on ship bridges. This provided a proof of concept for the design system and resulted in the first beta version of OpenBridge.
Funded by the Research Council of Norway. Project no. 269494
