Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems enable businesses to manage their core workflows, processes, and transactions within centralized infrastructures. However, the interface designs of legacy ERP systems are rarely in tandem with diverse employee needs and working behaviors.
Indeed, an Accenture-led ERP Trends Survey 2019 suggests that over 50% of UK CIOs work with inflexible and unintuitive ERP systems. Complex ERP interfaces drastically impact employee productivity with excessive workload and lead to multimillion-dollar losses for global businesses. How, in that case, can businesses deploy professional UI UX design services to create engaging and agile ERP systems?
This blog post explores some effective UX design tactics to build functional and seamless ERP systems.
Transforming Core Business Practices with ERP Solutions
Enterprise Resource Planning is a business-oriented system that organizes and automates key business tasks and operations. Multiple industry businesses use ERP systems to run mission-critical processes such as financials, planning, HR, supply chain, and logistics.
Today, global giants such as LG Electronics and small-scale institutions use ERP systems to channelize business functions and accelerate ROI. A recent Statista report reveals that the ERP market revenue is expected to reach approximately 43.4 U.S. dollars by 2021.
UX Design Strategies to Build Engaging ERP Modules
1) Aligning the Pre-requisites
Typical ERP systems guard crucial business data such as customer and supplier information, transactional data, purchase orders, quotes, invoices, inventory transactions, etc. Also, complete employee information, their roles, and key business metrics are required to automate ERP system reports.
Before flooding the ERP dashboard with all the above-mentioned data, user research consultants must curate the following design elements-
a) Employee or consumer personas, their needs, preferences, tasks, and system interactions.
b) A common business vision and objective that guides the system’s Information Architecture.
c) Empathy maps following a Say | Think | Does | Feel approach to define UI workflow and navigation.
Businesses should uphold comprehensive UX research services that contribute in-depth research and insights into the ERP interface design. It warrants the development of user-centric ERP modules that maximize user engagement and adoption.
Related- Tips For Seeking Stakeholder Participation In UX Research Studies
2) Organizing Global Navigation
Navigation of any web interface should be compatible with the respective screen size. According to Accenture’s ERP Trend Survey 2019, hardly 4% of UK-based CIOs run omnichannel and cross-device ERP systems. Unresponsive ERP modules delay important processes and beget fragmented user experience.
a) Web design services for ERP systems should provide employees with a single entry window for transactional and collaboration tools.
b) UX designers can integrate configurable screen features to enable quick decision-making with real-time exchange of business data across devices.
c) Ideally, global navigation in ERP interfaces should demonstrate prioritized activities to limit task execution in not more than three clicks.
d) It should also remind them of business workflows, compliance policies, benchmark practices, and operating procedures.
Related- Designing Mobile App Menus With User Navigation Guidelines
3) Integrating Machine-learning Capabilities
The evolution of ERP system designs is not limited to the vicinity of flat web pages. Rather, the future ERP market will provide AI-powered user experience to assist business processes and analysis.
a) Inclusion of chatbots, automation, and human-machine interactions can ease the filtration of vast volumes of data.
b) In-memory computing technologies can trace user preferences for training ERP systems to provide engaging and intuitive user experiences.
Related- Combining AI With UI To Build Intuitive Digital Designs
Industry-appropriate UI UX Design Services for ERP Systems
Alan Langhals, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Digital ERP practice, highlights the significance of an intuitive ERP system by quoting,
“The user experience drives adoption, and user adoption is an important first step toward realizing business value from big investments in enterprise systems.”
Comprehensive business models such as SAAS, ERP, and CRM constitute the future of the digital landscape. Our UI UX team at Oodles is skilled at building designs for AI applications, SAAS based applications, ERP systems, CRM platforms, Corporate websites, and E-learning portals. Talk to our UX design team to know more about our work.
