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I've developed many enterprise software solutions over the years. In my experience, there's a fundamental tradeoff in enterprise software (and software in gener
by zenpaul 12y ago
I've developed many enterprise software solutions over the years. In my experience, there's a fundamental tradeoff in enterprise software (and software in general) that has to do with the number and sophistication of users.
Basically, if you have lots and lots of unsophisticated users, you HAVE to spend time on design to make it intuitive so you are not overwhelmed with customer support issues. If you have a few, more sophisticated users (that often require a more complex interaction with the data) you can get away with a simple interface and make up for it in training or customer support.
It's a simple cost-benefit tradeoff that enterprises with limited resources make all the time.
Given that, I agree that much enterprise is needlessly badly designed. I can look at systems and tell that nobody even mocked up the screens before the programmers started coding.
- MaggieL 12y agoMocking the screens would require that there be a design. Having a design would require...well, requirements. Too few internal enterprise development environments manage to do these things. So an enterprise product with beautiful design is at a disadvantage for all the reasons other have noted, but also because it breaks the branding of the suite of enterprise software in which it becomes embedded, makes the rest of it look bad, and draws attention to the fact that the local IT department had to go out and buy something. :-) .