Designing Software for Engineers - Your Feedback

Redfred,

Thanks for responding! We certainly will have configuration options for the user. That will help with your suggestion. But this is for an ERP system, which tends to be huge. The amount of data is so overwhelming, we need to at least present a "default" view of things before the user changes it.

Our studies show most users spend little to no time at all setting up burdening administrative systems, which leads us down the path of needing some kind of dashboard with data they find meaningful.

Thanks again for your feedback!

Every building represents a particular aspect of your ERP ...The size dictates importance, and the state of repair visualizes need for attention...When you click on a particular building the program for that sector opens on the page....flashing lights on building with countdown to demolition denotes need for immediate attention....deadline approaching....Buildings can have particular features that represent certain aspects of the area they pertain to....When hovering with mouse over building a pop-up with synopsis appears....
This way when you have spare time you can work on the design of your buildings from a library of Architectural styles and features....

SolarEagle,

That is a fascinating idea! I really like it - and promise not to take it without credit - but that is the ACTUAL design. While I appreciate your skills in that department, I am more looking for the various things the buildings would represent (in your example).

I take from it you need to see the things that are important, and that need immediate attention. These are the things I am looking for. Deadlines - that a good one!

I especially like the idea of working on the buildings. Very cool!

Any more ideas of what the buildings should represent?

Each time you click on a building it opens the building up to display the floors, each floor has employees working in each section(avatars) with the state of affairs represented by the employee's appearance and neatness or disarray of work space....each object can be clicked on to show relevant data, each data point can be clicked on for history and status...Floors, sections, employees can all be added and customized to fit the situation....

That's a perfect way to overthink a project right into the stinking ground. What a hoot!

Tornado,

You think I am over thinking it or another respondent? I simply want to take the users opinions into account, so the system provides valued information.

I was replying to post 6, as may be seen to the upper right.

As background material, I recommend Edward Tufte's "The Cognitive Deficiencies of PowerPoint", which is also a hoot.

The writing or PowerPoint is a hoot?

Both, or maybe more precisely, the manner in which PowerPoint is used. Tufte's pamphlet is well worth reading, and is entertaining.

As Lord Acton didn't say "All power tends to corrupt, and Powerpoint corrupts absolutely"

I agree, One should have controls in it to keep the project focused. A 'know all, see all' aspect will stall the project and set it up for failure.

You're making me a little nervous. The software of an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) should be both highly flexible and easy to understand or the Emergency can quickly overwhelm resources that can be adequate if used properly.

Redfred,

It is not an emergency response system. Sorry for the confusion. It is an Enterprise Resource Planning system. Timesheets, expense reports, project management, accounting, etc. We have a firm grasp on the users that do these tasks - what are we after is what the average user would like to see.

Isn't that what SAP is about?

Good luck!

Take a good hard look at how SAP does it . . . .

then don't do it that way.

LOL! Very accurate. As far as design and UX goes, SAP drives off the "knowledge" that their users want to see the most data on the screen that they can at any particular time. At my firm, which is a design centered firm, we certainly do not think that way. Here, simplicity trumps all.
In that vain, we want to know what users of these systems would prefer to see on their dashboard. Here are some ideas as a starting point:

Upcoming deadlines
Milestones and achievements
To DO items (like timesheets and expense reports)
Collaboration items
Notifications
Items in a workflow
Assingments given to them
Project statuses
Personal performance and utilization
Etc.
Keep in mind, this is only the dashboard portion of the design. Obviously, users can access a lot of the data traversing the system. We are more concerned with providing "at a glance" relevant data to the user at log in - and want to know waht that data is.
Any other ideas?

Make sure the user has project engineering, architectural, financial, software engineering and administrative skills and education.

" .... and want to know waht that data is" You might add spell check to the dashboard. I'm probably the worst offender on this forum for grammar and spelling errors.

Ha! You beat me to it! Sorry for double mentioning. But maybe it sticks better! . . .

Thank you all for your help - spelling errors and all. Your feedback coupled with other feedback gained from other forums, and our actual users, has given us enough to get started.

We will be putting together a dashboard that encompasses many of the items I listed above, but also contains a heavy footprint centered around Knowledge Management, collaboration, and more.

The system, for the record, is indeed a smart one. It "learns" the users behavior, and helps drive them towards success in their jobs and roles. Maybe someday, some of you may even end up using it.

Thanks again!