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Summary
Many of the most successful software development practices — like agile and UX — emerged in the consumer facing private sector. Think Airbnb, Spotify, Uber. But what happens when we try to map those practices onto large enterprises that typically serve internal employees rather than the public? For example, are UX’ers prepared to think about how large systems connect and interact? How about the challenges of HR and roles and responsibilities? Challenges such as these are highly relevant in enterprise spaces, and perhaps even more so in the public sector where systems are often quite old and ways of working have calcified. This talk focuses on “gaps” in Enterprise UX, and how we might seek to close them.
Key Insights
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Enterprise UX faces unique challenges not addressed by traditional consumer-facing UX playbooks.
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Many enterprise projects start with solutions in search of problems, reflecting technology-driven opportunities like AI rather than defined user problems.
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Users in enterprise systems often have no choice but to use assigned tools, making adoption and usage metrics less meaningful.
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Designers must learn to work effectively with off-the-shelf software platforms like Sitecore, Salesforce, and SharePoint, yet training for this is scarce.
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Legacy interconnected systems create constraints where improvements in one area may cause problems in others, requiring systemic thinking.
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People and process design are critical in enterprise UX, not just technology and interface design—but are often neglected by designers.
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UX designers in enterprises often get involved in adoption and training, roles traditionally outside of UX but vital for successful rollouts.
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Strong facilitation skills are essential in enterprise UX to resolve stakeholder conflicts, build consensus, and manage complex design processes.
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Conventional metrics like NPS or usage may be forced and ineffective; alternative measures such as data quality, task completion time, and employee satisfaction are more valuable.
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Enterprise UX design education currently does not prepare designers for the complexity and cross-functional demands found in large organizations.
Notable Quotes
"We’re often in the position of making a piece of technology work without a clearly defined problem first."
"Users have no choice but to adopt enterprise tools, so metrics like adoption and usage lose their meaning."
"Designers need better training to handle off-the-shelf software that runs large organizations."
"Legacy interconnected systems mean solving one problem can create problems elsewhere."
"People and process design is as important as technology design in enterprise UX."
"UXers may have to help with adoption and training, even if it’s not traditionally their job."
"Facilitation is the grease between the wheels of difficult organizational challenges."
"You can’t just design interfaces and ignore how work gets done and who does it."
"Designers are being entrusted with increasingly complex challenges that traditional design education doesn’t fully prepare them for."
"Measuring quality of data entered and task completion time can be better UX metrics in enterprise contexts."
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