Christian Lambeck

(Re-)Evaluating User Interface Aspects in ERP Systems -- An Empirical User Study

In recent years, several user studies have examined specific usability problems in the field of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). These studies focused on different branches, various usability aspects, and several user groups. In spite of this diversification, some common and essential usability problems have become apparent, which are related to system complexity and difficulties in finding required information. Although these results revealed essential shortcomings in ERP usability, they date back up to 2005 and comprised only individual ERP systems in specific branches with small user groups. Therefore, this paper first addresses the question of whether the identified usability problems are still present today. Second, it extends the research focus to additional considerations, such as the role of menu type, uncertainty in system usage or the support in problem situations. The results are based upon a broad survey sample of 184 ERP users from small and medium-sized enterprises.

Positive Impacts of Private Smartphone Experience on Satisfaction with Business Applications: A Counter-Evidence

The high dissemination of smartphones in our everyday life has also influenced the use of business applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. In particular, the intuitive interaction of mobile devices and their innovative visualization concepts allow for a high joy-of-use. Whereas mobile business applications are already present today, the impact of private Smartphone usage on the user assessment of business applications, such as ERP, is rarely discussed. This paper addresses this research question by investigating the impact of private Smartphone usage on ERP user satisfaction. The authors hypothesize that users with lot of experience in mobile usage are also evaluating their ERP system more critical, as they also expect to have these intuitive interaction concepts in their business environment. The findings presented in this paper are based on a survey with 184 participants from small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany.

Bridging the gap: advances in interaction design for enterprise applications in production scenarios

In Enterprise Information Systems, users are facing complex user interfaces with a multitude of functionalities. These interfaces still rely on the WIMP-paradigm including forms, tables and dashboards, which are meant to be used with mouse and keyboard. This contribution argues that there is a gap between the increased process complexity and the traditional concepts in visualization and interaction. In this paper, an exemplary scenario addresses these challenges by exploiting tangible interaction on a tabletop system.

Die Rolle der Technischen Visualistik in Unternehmensanwendungen

Dieser Beitrag fokussiert einen zentralen Aspekt der Human Computer Interaction in Unternehmensanwendungen: die grafische Benutzerschnittstelle mit ihren aktuellen Defiziten sowie möglichen Potenzialen. Auch wenn sich die Bedienbarkeit der Systeme insgesamt deutlich verbessert hat, gilt es zukünftig, noch einige Potenziale zu heben. Hierfür bietet die Disziplin der Technischen Visualistik erste Ansätze, die sowohl Visualisierung als auch Interaktion betreffen. Die Einbeziehung der situativen Bedürfnisse, Fähigkeiten und Erwartungen des Nutzers bildet hierfür eine elementare Voraussetzung.