Comments on: What isn’t sexy enterprise software?

By: Ken

Ken — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 05:34:57 +0000

Kontra, right on… I am really liking your posts. As always extremely astute. I had just gotten done writing about Scobel’s post a little earlier today over at ChangeForge.

What’s not sexy about making a good clip of money while making a company run better and helping customers all the while!

http://www.changeforge.com/?p=26

Keep up the good work!

By: The Cave » Blog Archive » ‘Sexy’ Enterprise Software

The Cave » Blog Archive » ‘Sexy’ Enterprise Software — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:22:19 +0000

[...] IOW, ‘enterprise’ doesn’t have to mean ‘ugly’ or ‘painful’. [...]

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:00:55 +0000

Great article. I’m not an IT person, and I frequently feel like the IT people consider us the enemy. The article nails it that the UI on Enterprise software is awful. Much of it requires the user to memorize code words instead of using pull down menus. I understand fill in the blank for information, but when there are something like six codes, how tough would it be to program a pull down menu?
I work at a college, and when accessing my classes to print rosters, I have to go to class roster, select the semester (the pull down menu only has the current semester in the pull down menu (why do you have to have a pull down menu when there’s only one choice?) and if I want a semester other than the current one, I have to enter the start and end dates of the semester from memory (No Spring 2006 allowed, it’s got to be 1/14/2006 to 5/24/2006, and if the two dates don’t encompass the entire semester, or are so wide that they encompass more than one semester, it claims I didn’t have any classes in the period.) Then, after selecting my class, I can print the roster. Now here’s the thing. I teach seven classes, and after I print the roster, the program kicks me back to the top menu, and I have to select Class Roster, and go through all the steps again, instead of being able to go to class roster once and print all my classes.
Sorry for the rant, but I see this same type of lousy UI in businesses every place, and the IT people just tell us we’re too stupid to operate the system. Most Enterprise level software stinks, and will continue to stink because the CEOs, Vice Presidents, etc., don’t have to work with it. They have somebody else do their keyboarding, and the IT people don’t care what the average schmoe at the cash register or in accounting thinks.

By: Kontra

Kontra — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:03:59 +0000

Vinnie, I don’t think people who want “sexy” enterprise software are necessarily after just better UI, even if they can’t quite articulate it.

I almost never hear people get excited about enterprise software, but the same people often forward emails about how they discovered some site on the web that, to them, is a delight to use and they want you to share their excitement. That’s sexy.

I think we can agree that reverse engineering that “sexy” in systems design terms is the goal. And that (visual) UI (re)design without process/systems design is what’s gotten us into this mess to begin with. But it is not a matter of either/or; sexiness lies precisely in the integration/intersection.

By: vinnie mirchandani

vinnie mirchandani — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:08:47 +0000

To me just fixing UI without rethinking the business process is not the solution. some people within the walls of the enterprise do not need a better UI, they should have no UI…

http://dealarchitect.typepad.com/deal_architect/2007/12/ui-again-dont-p.html