Ted Simpson
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7 months ago
in Good UI or New Web Hubris? on Oracle AppsLab
Usability testing seems a slippery thing to me; I sat in on a usability testing session recently on some new web apps we are building. The pros running the session seemed to have 2 responses: if the testing results were positive, they high-fived each other because their UI design was great; if the testing results were negative, they explained that the UI features would be adopted by "learned behavior" in time. Either way, the testing did not prompt changes to the UI. I asked them why they did testing at all if the results weren't actionable. They told me I "didn't get it".
It takes discipline and nerve to put something new out; when we rolled out our PeopleSoft Portal 9.0 last fall, we did not make dramatic changes based on individual user comments -- reasoning instead that the research we did with our user base to develop the new UI and IA was solid and trustworthy. Now those UI and IA features have been adopted.
Another example of UI gone wild is PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.0. This is the best UI yet in ERP applications (I say); but, we had complaints from users when we first rolled it out that there were too many ways to navigate (enterprise menu navigation, embedded links, contextual search, and contextual navigation all on the same page). We noted that these were the same users who complained that navigation in prior version used to be too basic for their sophisticated needs and moved on.
I suppose it is a balance. The AppsLab experiences and blog are helpful and instructive to us who are moving into the NEW world, so thanks.
For what it is worth -- I liked the pen icon ;)
-Ted
It takes discipline and nerve to put something new out; when we rolled out our PeopleSoft Portal 9.0 last fall, we did not make dramatic changes based on individual user comments -- reasoning instead that the research we did with our user base to develop the new UI and IA was solid and trustworthy. Now those UI and IA features have been adopted.
Another example of UI gone wild is PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.0. This is the best UI yet in ERP applications (I say); but, we had complaints from users when we first rolled it out that there were too many ways to navigate (enterprise menu navigation, embedded links, contextual search, and contextual navigation all on the same page). We noted that these were the same users who complained that navigation in prior version used to be too basic for their sophisticated needs and moved on.
I suppose it is a balance. The AppsLab experiences and blog are helpful and instructive to us who are moving into the NEW world, so thanks.
For what it is worth -- I liked the pen icon ;)
-Ted
7 months ago
in Mix Messaging on Oracle AppsLab
The messaging is killer -- I am already using it. I feel hip (as hip as an administrative systems wonk can get . . . so not so much) that I used it before your blog post.
I only noticed the icons because I was subjected to a protracted discussion about web icons last week on the job; I will never get those hours back.
Thanks for the great stuff.
-T
I only noticed the icons because I was subjected to a protracted discussion about web icons last week on the job; I will never get those hours back.
Thanks for the great stuff.
-T
8 months ago
in Twitter as Customer Support on Oracle AppsLab
Great post, Jake. Thanks also for inspiration and comments over at eduweb buzz about DIY (I didn't know anyone read it!). I got interviewed by Oracle last week at Alliance in Las Vegas about Oracle & higher education: 2 great tastes . . .
This post prompted a spirited discussion around my shop about how we support our systems and how to improve that support. Thanks for the inspiration -- again.
-T
This post prompted a spirited discussion around my shop about how we support our systems and how to improve that support. Thanks for the inspiration -- again.
-T
10 months ago
in Acquisition Wednesday on Oracle AppsLab
We like BEA; we had to jettison OAS because it clashed with PeopleTools 8.49 in Firefox and Safari in our 2007 release of PeopleSoft 9.0 applications -- WebLogic saved the day. Is this part of -- does anyone have an thoughts -- building a PeopleSoft-specific tools stack (using what we used pre-Oracle: PeopleTools, WebLogic, etc.) as opposed to a Fusion stack? As much as I like the conceptual Fusion, in practice it seems that right now the PS-specific tools are still better in the PS arena. I guess if Fusion practically happens, it will be the best of red and blue?