Data Driven Enterprise UX: A Case Study of Enterprise Management Systems

This paper describes and makes a case for a data driven user experience design process for Enterprise IT. The method described employs an approach that focuses on defining the key modules (objects) in an enterprise IT software and the data sets used by these modules very early in the design process. We discuss how mapping parent child relationships between key entities in the software and the linked data helps create a holistic view of the product ecosystem which in turn allows the designer to create an uncluttered information architecture and user journey that maps closely to mental construct of the system in the user's mind. We further argue that in the present age of big data, working with well-defined data sets and visible data relationships creates a valuable information repository for the designer to take decisions regarding task optimization and building business intelligence in the system itself. We also discuss the urgent need, advantages and methods of 'consumerizing' the Enterprise UI to increase users productivity and reduce the learning curve. Lastly, these ideas are exemplified through a real life case study for an enterprise server management system.