Infor's new Web 2.0 user interface for Infor applications, MyDay, is here. Deon Eachells, Solutions Manager, Softworx (an EOH company), says the beauty of this solution is that it's based on Infor Open SOA and can therefore pull information from virtually any application or data source.
He says that calling Infor MyDay a user interface is a bit of an understatement because this solution is so much more. It's designed to deliver persona-based content to over 150 roles Infor has identified in its customers' businesses.
The content is delivered through pre-defined metrics and reports and as it is based on Infor's Web 2.0 technology, the content is intuitive and personalisable to the needs of any individual's unique requirements.
Eachells explains that a persona is a composite of a user within an organisation. A lot of vendors talk about role-based interfaces, and a persona takes this concept to the next level. A role is generic, designed for a departmental role such as the “finance user”. A persona is specific to an individual user within that department, and adds texture to that individual.
Infor has given these personas names and faces and built stories around their lives. These are imaginary people, but they are based on the hundreds of users Infor studied to understand what real people really need to get their jobs done. From conception, design and development to sales education and marketing, this gives Infor the understanding it needs to build and deliver great content for users.
“On top of this, all of the content delivered is actionable. This means you can drill down into the source systems for further analysis or to enter transactions. The result is that employees have a central location to find the information that they need in real-time to make decisions and complete their work,” Eachells says.
As an example, here's a closer look at “Bob the Production Planner”, one of the 16 persona roles Infor is delivering with this first release. Bob is a composite of the typical production planner. He is the choreographer of the manufacturing shop floor, managing planning and production. He determines what to produce, how much and when it's needed. He acts as the go-between between the shop floor and the corporate side of the firm. He has a degree - probably business or engineering - and has about a decade of experience in manufacturing. He knows how to use applications but is by no means an IT guru.
Bob has to deal with unexpected events - late purchase deliveries, machine downtime or last minute work orders. He wants to be more proactive, but the reality is that he is in “reacting mode” much of the time and plans are always changing. He has to deal with inaccurate inventories and bills of materials, and he has an avalanche of unstructured information that he needs to gather, format and assimilate to take action on.
Through research, Infor has honed in on Bob's typical responsibilities, skills, working environment, pain points and goals. They have learned how Bob uses his ERP software and other applications, and the value he needs to get from these.
“Infor started in early 2007, logging thousands of hours of research into the personas of the people using its software. Now they've built in the content they need to make their lives a little easier, so they can focus on strategic activities instead of looking for information. These in-depth personas allow Infor to deliver rich and targeted user experiences, making Infor MyDay unique to the market,” Eachells concludes.
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