User Interface Alignment

CIOs have reported for several years that Business/IT alignment tops the list of concerns they need to address within their companies. Yet, little consideration has been given to improving the user interface on various business application software packages used throughout the organization. This includes software systems such as finance, call centers, order management, HR, distribution and customer response management. For our purposes, business application software is any software used as part of a company’s specific processes to achieve its stated business objectives. Ironically, a business application’s UI problem is not simply a user problem. It is a serious business process issue that can have significant cost implications if left unchecked.
 
The consultants at Lifecycle Technology Services understand that the “user interface” (UI) of a business application must be viewed and represented in a manner that optimizes the process it enables. They understand that the business benefits that come from a properly executed UIA process can represent productivity gains in the 100 to 200 percent range.
 
Before modifying the UI of any business application, Lifecycle Technology Services consultants take great care to ensure that the process being automated is streamlined. User interface alignment is not simply a one-to-one mapping of a business process on the user interface; rather, it is driven by the following:
 

Is the UI viewed as a business process as opposed to an interaction medium?

Does the UI architecture support a practical, more efficient workflow view versus a task view?

Is the UI architecture business scenario-driven?

Is the business application free of functionality and/or features that are not required in the targeted business process?

Achieving an effective “user interface alignment” typically requires a systematic, business-centric approach to software development. This design approach is more process-centered where the business application’s UI is aligned with a streamlined workflow to deliver measurable productivity gains.