Main News Desk

Enterprise applications: good design is key to usability and user productivity

October 15, 2007

Innovations in consumer technology and Web 2.0 are shaping the expectation for the business applications of the future. This is set to continue with new levels of usability expected in the workplace by the “i-generation”, based on their experience of the intuitive nature of Google, iPods, mobile phones, games consoles and social networking sites. Organizations need improved business application usability to retain & motivate staff and the enhanced user productivity that these innovations can unlock for global business.

A recent survey by IFS* asked IT decision makers to define what they actually meant by business software usability. Nearly half (45%) said software usability was simply when a product helped them do their job better and faster. This was followed by 30% who said usability meant there should be no need to read a manual. Yet when asked to rate their business software, 95% felt current applications were more difficult to use when workers moved beyond basic usage.

“It is clear that up to now the focus of enterprise applications has been in automating existing processes, with vendors then adding more and more functionality– to the extent that users of systems can now feel overwhelmed. At IFS we are focusing on bringing good design to the world of business software to deliver the enhanced usability that people increasingly expect based on their home use of the internet and consumer electronics,” Peter Robertshaw, IFS’ global marketing director said.

Respondents were also asked to highlight the biggest timewasters they find in today’s business applications. Topping the list was when different modules worked in different ways (29%), then the difficulty in transferring data from one application to another (16%), followed closely by the complexity in searching for and finding the information needed (15%).

Web applications are currently deemed the most intuitive with 40% of respondents citing them top, followed by email systems favored by 23%.

During enterprise application selection 47% had seriously considered usability – but only 4% saw it as the most important factor. 36% had concentrated on other factors such as functionality and price – and 17% felt they could train their way out of any usability gap.

“Improved usability comes from ergonomic design and ‘mashing up’ elements like business processes, intuitive navigation, web services, embedded enterprise search and integrated office applications whose data has traditionally been outside a company’s formal business processes,” Dan Matthews, IFS CTO said. “With global supply chains and extended business networks, companies are exposing more of their systems outside the walls of their own organization – couple this with more demanding entrants to the workforce and home workers increasingly needing to be self-sufficient, then the business applications of the future must apply good design principles to deliver enhanced usability and, through this, increased user productivity.”

Executive quote

"It is clear that up to now the focus of enterprise applications has been in automating existing processes, with vendors then adding more and more functionality– to the extent that users of systems can now feel overwhelmed. At IFS we are focusing on bringing good design to the world of business software to deliver the enhanced usability that people increasingly expect based on their home use of the internet and consumer electronics," Peter Robertshaw, IFS’ global marketing director said.

"Improved usability comes from ergonomic design and ‘mashing up’ elements like business processes, intuitive navigation, web services, embedded enterprise search and integrated office applications whose data has traditionally been outside a company’s formal business processes," Dan Matthews, IFS CTO said. "With global supply chains and extended business networks, companies are exposing more of their systems outside the walls of their own organization – couple this with more demanding entrants to the workforce and home workers increasingly needing to be self-sufficient, then the business applications of the future must apply good design principles to deliver enhanced usability and, through this, increased user productivity."

About the company

IFS (OMX STO: IFS), the global enterprise applications company, provides ERP solutions which enable organizations to respond quickly to market changes. The solutions allow resources to be used in a more agile way to achieve better business performance and competitive advantage.

Founded in 1983, IFS has 2,600 employees worldwide. With IFS Applications™, now in its seventh generation, IFS has pioneered component-based ERP software. The component architecture provides solutions that are easier to implement, run and upgrade. IFS Applications is available in 54 countries in 22 languages.

IFS has over 600,000 users across seven key vertical sectors: aerospace & defense; automotive; manufacturing; process industries; construction, contracting & service management; retail & wholesale distribution and utilities & telecom. IFS Applications provide extended ERP functionality, including CRM, SCM, PLM, CPM, enterprise asset management, and MRO capabilities.

More details can be found at www.IFSWORLD.com.

Contact details

Anne Vandbakk, Corporate Communications Director, IFS
Phone: + 47 66 90 73 00
E-mail: anne.vandbakk@ifs.no

Anders Wilhelmsson, Industry Director, Service & Asset Intensive, IFS
Phone: +46 8 58 78 44 00
E-mail: anders.wilhelmsson@ifsworld.com

Rachel Hodgson / James Mossman, LEWIS PR
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7802 2626
E-mail: rachelh@lewispr.com / jamesm@lewispr.com

Bookmarklets:

Recent Press Releases

2010 Archive

2009 Archive

2008 Archive

2007 Archive

Jump to:

Main News Desk

Enterprise applications: good design is key to usability and user productivity

Executive quote

About the company

Contact details