“Inefficiency is a slope whereupon one slides ever downwards, by degrees, until one reaches the nadir unknowing.” — Canticles Borealis 6.15, Adeptus Mechanicus
Efficiency is a core tenet of the Cult Mechanicus, enshrined in sacred scripture and invoked in every calibration. However, when examining the interface design of machines developed and maintained by the Imperium of Mankind, it becomes evident that the human user has been largely displaced, or even enslaved as components, in favour of the machine. Core principles of Human-Centred Design — such as usability, affordance, and cognitive empathy — have been subordinated to dogma, ritual, and machine-worship.
This talk explores the contradiction of interface design within the Adeptus Mechanicus and applies a user-centred design lens to user interface descriptions in Warhammer 40k games and the stories. We examine how ritual, hierarchy, and techno-theological doctrine shape interfaces in the far future, contrasting them with modern interface design principles: affordances, cognitive load, and recognition over recall. What does usability mean in a society that no longer values the human as a user?
Using the Cult Mechanicus as a case study, we draw parallels to contemporary design challenges: systems that obscure functionality, prioritise efficiency over empathy, or treat users as interchangeable components. Warhammer’s interface designs serve as speculative provocations for real-world human-computer interaction challenges, especially with the growing reliance on artificial intelligence or the machine, in posthuman design contexts.
Finally, we reflect on how the ideological themes of Warhammer 40k—sacrificial interfaces, institutionalised inefficiency, and post-human toolchains—are not confined to fiction, but already influence systems in our present millennium. We ask: what does it mean to advocate for user-centred design in a world, fictional or real, where the concept of the “user” is increasingly abstract, passive, or expendable?
Author bios
Dr Martin Dechant is a Lecturer in Digital Mental Health at UCL. He investigates how human-computer interaction, technology, and design affect our mental health. He is particularly interested in the use of digital games and technologies to develop new ways to prevent and assess mental health needs.
Maximilian A. Friehs is an assistant professor in the Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety section (University of Twente, Netherlands). Before he worked in Canada, Ireland and Germany. He wants to understand human behaviours and experiences to be able to enhance it in performance-critical situations and create safer environments.
