Bridging the Gap with UI, Part 2

Last week, I wrote about the importance of understanding user roles and how a successful UI allows each user to focus on what s/he does best, especially with regards cross-functional process teams (Rule #1).

It’s crucial to get these groups aligned from the very outset of a project, to get them walking lock-step with each other as soon as possible. This is Rule #2.

But how is this accomplished through the UI?

The most important thing we’ve learned about aligning cross-functional interests from a UI perspective has to do with the early discovery and documentation phases of the project. This is the first (and potentially only) opportunity to get everyone’s interests on the same page, and is exactly why we created Lombardi Blueprint.

Here, you shouldn’t build out too much interface - it’s important to allow for learning and adapting to take place. Our overall goal with Blueprint was to speed understanding of BPM for business users on a fundamental level. It was important for us not to be too rigid, or to flood users with too much information too soon. The value of the work that was being done needed to be self-evident.

We also believe in building “just enough” user interface as needed in order to manipulate the data and step through all the necessary paths. We use this as a way of ensuring against errors in the modeling that you end up getting locked into. Simplicity is key… adding more features can get you into trouble.

For this reason the modeling environment in Blueprint is focused on enabling people to get started more quickly (as opposed to getting lost in the larger trajectory of the project, and/or succumbing to scope creep). If you need more information, it is there - but it isn’t presented to the user unless it is necessary (i.e. we use progressive disclosure techniques in the product so we don’t throw all the advanced functionality out there in the beginning). At all times we are striving to design interfaces that allow a new user to get started meaningfully no longer than 10 minutes after being dropped into our product.

Overall, we keep it simple and remain flexible and focused on features that help get users to that next version faster. At Lombardi, continuous process improvement means that the UI is all about getting you to that next step, focusing on the rapid iteration and agility. This, coupled with a deep understanding of the needs of technical and non-technical users alike, gets cross-functional teams on the same page early, and gives you the very best chance for ongoing success.

Questions? Feedback? Let us know in the comments section below.