Here are some additional pointers, below assumes you did your prior research into your core audience and audience needs etc.: 1. Make sure you really understand the possibilities/limitations within each of the cluster applications that would be part of this Enterprise set - including the interaction style and navigation metaphors - and most importantly, the core features within each application, such as search, reports, etc. Also make sure you understand the company's strategy for how their own core Corporate look may or may not need to be included. Some companies (using a SaaS model to deliver their services) 'may' need some of the core branding to be customizable for the Client, but for those companies whose product does not need a lot of client branding integration (except for the occasional logo, etc), your company's own branding may need to be tightly integrated into the overall product ( and into your solution). 2. See where there are functional opportunities for improvement within each product set making up the Enterprise Cluster Applications set. Work with your Engineering partners/CTO/Chief Architects/Developers to ensure you really understand the overarching technology strategy, and the underlying technology integration points, as well as core challenges. Hopefully you will uncover that here is indeed a method for data to be made available across the Enterprise, and that there is a core level Enterprise Service Bus/layer of data sitting between the myriad applications/data sets/disparate data marts and the upper level ( portal or what have you) where you will be devising your strategy. IF the company does not have a such middle layer, then ... your work may become very limited in what it can actually affect. I have worked for companies where there is an interest in developing a core application but there is not Enterprise service bus strategy to support it, and worked for companies where the Enterprise strategy definitely included the connecting layer. I always prefer to design for the later, since you will be assured an integrated success between the interface and user needs, and the delivery and data models to support it. 3. Once you understood the above, explore creating core interaction, navigation, and design patterns that can be applied and implemented across the Enterprise. Ideally you can work with an Art Director to develop the visual patterns in tandem with your own design for the interaction and navigation patterns. This is critical to a successful integration and usability of the entire product set. Your outputs should be targeted to what the core needs are for your internal Engineering audience (from spelled out guides to actual code snippets to actual templetized layouts and stylesheets, or whatever interface building objects you may need to produce - this assumes your company will not be selling its products as customizable software - if it does, your work just got compounded since it will be both an internal focused and external focused effort. There may be an overlap in outputs, or there may not be. 4. Work out a strategy and possible schedule for bringing all applications up to speed, and do not forget to leave enough work for yourself into the future :) I am sure I may be leaving a few things out, but this is a core strategy I have employed with great success in the past. As Navid, the previous responder has mentioned, if you do not have the Engineering and resources backup to help you achieve your goals, you may be facing a bigger challenge than simply getting the job done well. My 2.2 cents, Adriana
--- On Thu, 2/11/10, Navid Sadikali <[email protected]> wrote: From: Navid Sadikali <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Enterprise IT UI Strategy To: "Brandon Adams" <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 1:01 PM watch out for when the company doesn't have the resources ($ or people) or insight to actually do interaction design in each application, but instead asks for a "manual" or style guide. The technologists/CTO will usually ask for this in his naive view that if there was a guide, then he could have every developer make easy to use products that all fit the corporate brand. the best you can do is present some visual design guidelines and some brand rules, and maybe some overarching patterns. however, one of your tasks is to make them realize that designing cohesive applications in a large space is not paint-by-numbers it requires designers. On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 2:51 AM, Brandon Adams <[email protected]> wrote: > I've been asked to develop a UI strategy to be implemented across our > IT department for all our custom developed applications as well as > user facing vendor systems such as peoplesoft, microsoft dynamics, > and several others. > > I'm a rookie web developer and UI guy that is transitioning into a > IxD/UX role and this is my first large scale project of this nature. > Can anyone provide some advice on how to start, what to consider, and > things to watch out for? > > > Thanks, > Brandon > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [email protected] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
