From Frustration to Flow: Revamping a Corporate ERP for Enhanced Usability
This project involved the redesign and improvement of a corporate internal employee management platform—a comprehensive SaaS product used for managing various modules essential for large-scale corporate environments. The platform, which functioned as a multi-module Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, included features for HR management, sales, marketing, pre-sales, asset management, and more. The goal was to streamline processes, improve usability, and enhance the overall user experience for employees who relied on the system to perform their daily tasks.
As the sole UI/UX designer assigned to this project, I was responsible for improving the usability of the platform by identifying pain points and implementing solutions to make the product more intuitive and user-friendly. My task was to ensure that this complex product, which had grown over time with additional modules and features, remained navigable and efficient for all employees, particularly those in busy departments like pre-sales. By focusing on improving navigation, search functionality, and the dashboard interface, my objective was to create a product that made work easier and less frustrating for the users.
The Manze
The Manaze Web App Interface.
The platform served as a hub for employees to manage critical functions across different departments. Each module—whether it was HR, sales, or marketing—had its own set of workflows, tools, and processes embedded within the platform. Employees used the system to input data, track performance, manage leads, and communicate with other departments, making it the backbone of daily operations. However, due to the platform's organic growth over time, the user experience became fragmented, resulting in navigational challenges, poor search functionality, and an overall lack of user-friendly features.
Initially designed during the early stages of the company, the platform was structured as an information tree, providing users with a hierarchical view of data. While this worked for smaller teams, the company’s growth meant that more modules were added to this foundation, making it increasingly difficult for users to find the information they needed. With so much data, the system required users to click through multiple levels to retrieve even simple pieces of information, leading to inefficiencies and frustration.
Additionally, there was a clear lack of automation, with employees manually entering information such as email communications, calls, reports, and status updates. The platform’s filter system was rudimentary, requiring users to reapply filters every time they wanted to view the same type of data. The search functionality was limited to specific categories of data, and the dashboard—intended to provide an overview of key information—was underutilized due to poor visualization and customization options.
The headache
The purpose of this project was to improve the user experience of the employee management platform, addressing the frustrations faced by the company’s employees, particularly those in the pre-sales department, who heavily relied on the system for managing their workflows. As the company grew, so did the complexity of the platform, which had become cumbersome to navigate. My role was to make the platform more efficient, less time-consuming, and easier to use, allowing employees to focus on their core tasks rather than wrestling with the system’s limitations.
One of the most significant goals was to address the navigational challenges and create a smoother, more intuitive way for employees to find the information they needed. Another priority was optimizing the filter and search systems, ensuring that users could access frequently needed data without redundant steps. Enhancing the dashboard was another critical goal, as a well-designed dashboard could provide users with a quick and visually appealing overview of essential data, reducing the time spent navigating through the platform.
By improving the platform's usability, the project aimed to increase productivity, reduce frustration, and ultimately contribute to the overall well-being of employees by making their work environment more user-friendly and less stressful.
Corporate Research.
Research and Analysis
The project began with a comprehensive competitor analysis to understand how leading ERP systems approach usability, functionality, and user experience. As a designer new to ERP software, I familiarized myself with these platforms by exploring free trials and watching in-depth YouTube tutorials. This phase focused on evaluating top ERP solutions—SAP S/4HANA, Oracle ERP, and Microsoft Dynamics 365—to gather insights that could directly inform the redesign of our corporate ERP system.
Through this analysis, I assessed each platform’s Scalability, Flexibility, Functionality, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Information Structure, and Navigation. SAP and Microsoft Dynamics demonstrated strong scalability and could handle the demands of large, data-intensive organizations. This highlighted a limitation in our system, which struggled to keep up with growing data requirements. In terms of flexibility, Oracle ERP provided extensive customization options, while Microsoft Dynamics allowed users to tailor workflows easily—an aspect that was notably absent in our own platform.
The Functionality analysis revealed that SAP and Microsoft Dynamics offered advanced search features and efficient data retrieval, addressing one of the main pain points identified in user interviews: the time-consuming process of locating information on our platform. Furthermore, SAP and Microsoft Dynamics excelled in GUI design, showcasing clean, intuitive layouts that made the user experience seamless. In contrast, Oracle’s design, while functional, felt somewhat outdated, yet still outperformed our platform’s user interface in terms of structure and ease of use.
The Information Structure in competitor platforms was clear and well-organized, particularly in Microsoft Dynamics, which allowed users to access information quickly and intuitively. This stood out as an area where our platform fell short, with employees often struggling to find critical data. Finally, Navigation patterns in SAP and Microsoft Dynamics incorporated streamlined menu structures, which provided a straightforward user journey—an aspect that our platform lacked due to its complex, layered navigation.
Building on the insights gained from the competitor analysis, the project moved into a comprehensive research and discovery phase to assess the existing platform’s structure and functionality in a real-world context. My first task was to understand the workflow and structure of each module and map out how employees interacted with the system daily. I conducted user interviews with employees in the pre-sales department, one of the busiest and most demanding teams in the company, to gather direct insights into their experiences, pain points, and frustrations. These interviews highlighted several critical issues, including the platform’s complex navigation, the time-consuming nature of finding and retrieving information, and the inefficiencies created by manual data entry processes.
I also performed a heuristic evaluation of the platform, identifying usability issues related to the interface’s design and functionality. By analyzing the platform’s flow and comparing it to modern ERP systems used by competitors, I pinpointed areas where the platform lagged behind in terms of efficiency and user-centered design. This research phase was critical in shaping the direction of the project, as it provided me with a clear understanding of where the platform needed improvement.
Planning and Prioritizing Solutions
Implementation of some solutions for certain screens.
Following the research phase, I developed a plan of action to address the most pressing issues, starting with the platform's navigation system. The initial approach was to “divide and conquer” by focusing on one module at a time, starting with the pre-sales module due to its critical role in the company’s operations. I created a detailed map of the internal processes and functions within this module, highlighting points of friction and inefficiency.
One of the most significant challenges I faced was the lack of time to gather feedback from pre-sales employees, as they were often too busy to participate in interviews or tests. Despite this, I was able to collaborate with key stakeholders and resourceful team members to gain a deep understanding of the module’s intricacies. The goal was to streamline navigation and minimize the number of clicks required to access key information, making it easier for employees to find what they needed.
Redesigning the Platform
The next phase involved redesigning the navigation system to simplify the user experience. Rather than overhauling the entire product—which would have been time-consuming and resource-intensive—I proposed a series of incremental improvements that could be implemented quickly while still delivering significant benefits. These included enhancing the filter system to allow users to save frequently used filters, reducing the need for repetitive actions.
One of the most impactful changes was the implementation of a dashboard with data visualization tools. The new dashboard allowed users to view essential data at a glance and provided a more intuitive way to access detailed information. By using a Bento box navigation system, I enabled users to click directly on data points in the dashboard, reducing the number of clicks required to navigate through the system.
Additionally, I recommended improving the search functionality to allow for more robust queries and better filtering. While this required collaboration with the development team, the improved search function made it easier for users to find the data they needed, even in a system as large and complex as this one.
Testing and Results
Once the redesigns were implemented, I conducted user testing with employees to evaluate the effectiveness of the changes. Employees were asked to perform key tasks, such as retrieving specific data or managing workflows, using the new navigation system, dashboard, and search tools. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with users reporting that the system was far easier to navigate, and the dashboard provided them with more control and insight into their data.
The improvements also led to a measurable increase in employee productivity, as the time spent navigating the platform and inputting data was significantly reduced. The ability to save filters and quickly access frequently used information was particularly well-received, as it eliminated the need for repetitive actions that had previously been a major source of frustration.
In the end, the project resulted in a more efficient, user-friendly platform that improved the overall well-being of the employees who relied on it every day. By focusing on small, incremental improvements rather than a full-scale redesign, I was able to deliver meaningful results in a short amount of time, making the platform easier to use and reducing the cognitive load on employees.