USER EXPERIENCE SOCIAL, COMMERCIAL, & ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS
By Nayan KurupGetting things done for a given software is no more only users responsibility. Getting things done quickly, easily, without errors is as much software developers responsibility as much it is users.
Changing Times
With spread of internet & access to data, commercial web applications & websites became part of our everyday life. This significantly reduced learning curve for such commercial software & websites. Further, people who would use enterprise software started complaining about user interface & low performance systems.
From No-Choice to Full Control
Between 2005 and 2012, both users & customers continued to use restrictive user interface in enterprise applications. It was OK to tell a customer that javaScript will not run on ABAP screen or WebDynpro screens, and customer had no choice but accept the solution. Customers continued to use such user interface at work because they had no choice, but these people, when back home from work would spend hours on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. There is only one explanation for this behavior – Commercial grade User Experience.
Nobody misses his/her work software. Lets accept this fact. However, at least we can reduce the boredom and frustration that comes inherently with traditional user interface of enterprise applications. This can only be achieved if enterprise application design is brought on the lines of commercial application design.
Design thinking led new age UI is the way forward for everyone. Even in SAP application design, emergence of UI5 & Fiori has brought a significant change in the mindset.
Build Once, Consume Anywhere
Responsive application design took over enterprise software quicker than anticipated. Application consumption endpoint changed from desktop to mobiles & PDAs. This led mobile application design paradigm for sometime, and almost every organization had its own native mobile application. However, with responsive website, it was realized that instead of maintaining same solution over desktop & mobile, it makes sense to have a responsive application that would detect the device and adjust itself to the screen.
This approach is also adopted by SAP in its SAPUI5 framework.
UX is a Mindset
Project managers & architects must start accounting for UX processes, and it is their responsibility to explain to customer why investing more time in UX process would be beneficial for the business.
Finally, developers must stop asking for mockups to their team leads. Developers must start by asking – Why, How, What questions before they even start prototyping. It is essential to build user personas and then build a rough prototype.
At Cassini, we believe that user experience design is not a process, but a mindset. It is the mindset that leaders & stakeholders must adopt and pass down the organizational pyramid. Unless leaders follow the process of building this mindset, traditional IT organizations would be threatened of obsolescence.
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