Tools used: Figma, FigJam, Mobbin, iPad / Project's Year: 2023

Redesigning an ERP experience to match a luxury furniture brand

The project aimed to develop an ERP interface catering to two pivotal roles: Analysts and Reporting Managers.
To achieve this, we crafted a Design System aligned with the brand's style guide, ensuring seamless integration of high-fidelity prototypes and addressing the specific component needs for the two user flows.

Bridging elegance and technical limitations

The challenge with this client was the following: How can we redesign an ERP platform to balance the modern look and feel of an established luxury furniture brand, but at the same time strictly adhere to the foundational framework of the software company?

A screenshot of an ERP system's dashboard, showcasing a relatively old design practices

A screenshot of the old ERP framework

Establishing goals

Following an in-depth client workshop to comprehend their unique needs and goals, we established four key criteria that would serve as benchmarks to measure the success of this project.

Data-driven UI

Develop a user interface grounded in data-driven UI best practices to enhance user experience and usability.

Customization

Enable rich customization options to meet the unique preferences and needs of individual users.

User freedom

Prioritize user autonomy, providing them with the freedom to personalize their experience within the system.

Holistic system

Design a comprehensive system that caters to the requirements of multiple user roles, ensuring seamless functionality and integration across the board.

User Workshops - Determining Strategy

After a series of workshops with the luxury furniture brand, delving into the intricacies of their users' needs and ERP requirements. This allowed us to plan and prepare for the functional scope, essential for a seamless integration. After that, while our UX team engaged in ideating and conceptualizing the main user flows and information architecture, our UI team simultaneously crafted a design system as a response to the scope.

With both aspects completed, the moment arrived to harmoniously merge these elements into an elegant internal experience that would not only meet user needs but also reflect the brand's distinctive aesthetic seamlessly.

A banner image of Elegant Living's new Design System built for the purposes of their redesigned ERP system

The Design System, which was developed for the needs of the project.

Ideation and conceptualisation

User #1: Analyst

Goals:

• Conduct in-depth data analysis to identify outliers in sales and inventory.

• Create reports to support strategic decisions, especially in optimizing inventory levels and supplier relationships.

• Collaborate with the Reporting Manager to provide actionable insights based on data analysis.

Challenges:

• Requires access to a variety of data sources to perform in-depth analysis.

• Needs tools for data visualization and analytics.

• Must be able to create ad-hoc reports to address specific analysis requirements.

Flowchart showing user journey for an analyst: start on ERP dashboard, identify outliers, expand to data table, create graph, submit for review, add comment.

User #2: Reporting Manager

Goals:

• Monitor the overall health of the business through critical KPIs.

• Receive reports and analysis from the Analyst to inform strategic decisions.

• Collaborate with other departments to align business strategies.

Challenges:

• Needs an easy-to-read overview of key performance metrics.

• Requires regular access to sales and inventory reports for decision-making.

• Values insights from the Analyst to inform strategic choices.

Flowchart showing user journey for a reporting manager: start on ERP dashboard, where the user receives a notification about new report, after that he opens it reviewing the Analyst's comments, after which he adds it to the dasboard.

Wireframe sketches

We sketched rough wireframes to establish clarity and a shared understanding of the UI layout and components before delving into the design phase.

A hand-drawn flowchart with five steps, resembling initial wireframes, showing a UX/UI design: dashboard screenshot, screen with plots, line plots, and final success text.

Outcome - An elegant, simple design for complex jobs

Our solution balanced a variety of complex tasks with an easy-to-use, yet flexible design.
Our focus was on creating different paths for users with different jobs, like Finance, CRM, and warehouse management. This way, everyone can use the system easily, no matter their role.