Authors:
Tamara Babaian
;
Wendy Lucas
;
Alina Chircu
and
Noreen Power
Affiliation:
Bentley University, United States
Keyword(s):
Dynamic Visualizations, Interactive Visualizations, Enterprise Systems, ERP.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Enterprise Information Systems
;
HCI on Enterprise Information Systems
;
Human-Computer Interaction
;
Interface Design
Abstract:
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems pose usability challenges to all but the most sophisticated of users. One such challenge arises from complex menu structures that hinder, rather than aid, system navigation. Another issue is the lack of support for discovering and exploring relationships between the data elements that underlie all transactions and processes performed with the system. Two dynamic, interactive visualizations, the Dynamic Task Map and the Association Map, were designed to assist users in ERP system navigation and data exploration activities. In this paper, we describe a laboratory study comparing the use of these visual components to standard SAP interfaces. Results from an initial empirical evaluation revealed that all users were able to complete tasks more quickly and with the same or a lower number of errors when using the visual components than when using SAP. Answers to questions comparing the standard SAP interface with visualizations also revealed an ove
rall preference for the visual interfaces. Suggestions for improvements to the visualizations from study participants provided valuable feedback for future development.
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