enterprise-system-ux-expert

Finance & Accounting

• Systems: QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, SAP FI/CO, Oracle Financials
• Key processes: AP/AR, GL, budgeting, reconciliation, reporting
• Personas: CFO, Controller, AP/AR Clerk, Auditor

Customer Relationship (CRM)

• Systems: Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Pipedrive, Zoho
• Key processes: Lead management, pipeline, forecasting, customer service
• Personas: Sales Rep, Sales Manager, CSM, VP Sales

Human Resources (HRM/HRIS)

• Systems: Workday, BambooHR, Gusto, ADP, SAP SuccessFactors
• Key processes: Hiring, onboarding, payroll, performance, compliance
• Personas: HR Director, Recruiter, Employee, Hiring Manager

Supply Chain (SCM)

• Systems: SAP SCM, Oracle SCM Cloud, Blue Yonder, Manhattan
• Key processes: Procurement, inventory, fulfillment, logistics
• Personas: Procurement Manager, Warehouse Lead, Supply Chain Director

Operations & Project Management

• Systems: Jira, Asana, Monday, ServiceNow, Notion
• Key processes: Task tracking, resource allocation, workflow automation
• Personas: Project Manager, Team Lead, Operations Director

---

Executive Personas (Cross-Domain)

CEO / COO

• Priorities: Strategic visibility, cross-functional alignment, ROI
• Pain points: Fragmented dashboards, manual board reports, slow decisions
• Needs: Single source of truth, exception-based management, trend visibility

CFO

• Priorities: Cash flow, compliance, cost control, forecasting
• Pain points: Multiple systems, manual reconciliation, policy enforcement
• Needs: Real-time financials, automated compliance, predictive insights

Operational Personas

Department Manager (Generic)

• Priorities: Team productivity, policy compliance, reporting
• Pain points: Administrative overhead, approval queues, lack of visibility
• Needs: Self-service reports, streamlined approvals, team dashboards

End User / Clerk (Generic)

• Priorities: Speed, clarity, not making mistakes, finding information
• Pain points: Too many screens, unclear policies, context switching
• Needs: Single screen for tasks, smart defaults, clear guidance

IT Administrator

• Priorities: Security, integrations, user management, uptime
• Pain points: Every change is a ticket, legacy integrations, training burden
• Needs: Self-service config, API-first design, audit logs

---

Legacy ERP Pattern (SAP/Oracle)

Characteristics:

• Transaction-code based navigation
• Dense screens (50+ fields)
• Powerful but requires specialists
• Policy = configuration tables
• Training measured in weeks

Anti-patterns to avoid:

• Memorized codes (T-codes, menu paths)
• Modal dialog stacks
• Cryptic error messages
• "Save" then "Post" then "Release" multi-step commits

Modern SaaS Pattern (Salesforce/Workday)

Characteristics:

• Web-based, role-based dashboards
• Customizable but within limits
• Workflow builders (visual)
• Better UX, still complex

Patterns to borrow:

• Record-centric views (contact card, account page)
• Inline editing
• Activity timelines
• Saved views/filters

AI-Native Pattern (Target State)

Characteristics:

• Intent-based interaction (natural language)
• Policy execution, not policy following
• Proactive guidance (not reactive errors)
• Learn from usage

Differentiators:

• User states what they want, system handles how
• Policies are natural language, not config
• AI surfaces exceptions, user handles only those
• Zero training for basic tasks

---

Universal Policy Types

1. Approval Workflows

```

Purchase > $5,000 → Manager approval

Purchase > $25,000 → Director + Finance approval

New vendor → Procurement review required

Contract > $50,000 → Legal review

```

2. Segregation of Duties

```

Requester ≠ Approver

Creator ≠ Reviewer

Initiator ≠ Releaser

```

3. Timing & SLA Controls

```

Expenses submitted within 30 days

Invoices processed within 3 business days

Support tickets responded within 4 hours

Performance reviews completed by [date]

```

4. Data Quality & Documentation

```

All records must have description

Transactions > $1,000 require attachment

Customer contacts require email OR phone

Project codes required for time entries

```

5. Automation Triggers

```

Overdue task → Escalate to manager

Contract 30 days to renewal → Alert owner

Inventory below threshold → Create PO

New hire accepted → Trigger onboarding workflow

```

Policy Design Principles

1. Express intent, not mechanics: "Large purchases need VP approval" not "If amount > 10000 AND dept_code IN (...)..."

1. Visible before violation: User knows policy BEFORE they hit a wall

1. Audit trail automatic: Every policy evaluation logged without extra work

1. Exceptions with explanation: Override allowed with documented reason

1. Living document: Policy changes should be instant, not IT projects

---

A. Task Efficiency

| Metric | Good | Bad |

|--------|------|-----|

| Primary task completion | 1-2 screens | 5+ screens |

| Information lookup | Natural search | Filter maze |

| Record creation | Smart defaults | All fields required |

| Status check | Visible inline | Run a report |

B. Policy Visibility

| Metric | Good | Bad |

|--------|------|-----|

| When shown | Before user acts | After rejection |

| How expressed | Natural language | Config tables |

| Predictability | Clear thresholds | Hidden triggers |

| Change process | Admin conversation | IT ticket |

C. Error Prevention

| Metric | Good | Bad |

|--------|------|-----|

| Invalid input | Prevented at entry | Error after submit |

| Policy violation | Warning with guidance | Blocked without context |

| Duplicates | Smart detection | User must verify |

| Missing data | Contextual prompts | "Required field" error |

D. Information Hierarchy

| Metric | Good | Bad |

|--------|------|-----|

| Critical info | Immediate visibility | Buried in tabs |

| Action items | Proactive surfacing | User must hunt |

| Status clarity | Visual states | Ambiguous labels |

| Context | Inline/expandable | Separate screen |

E. AI-Native Advantages

| Capability | Traditional | AI-Native |

|------------|-------------|-----------|

| Task initiation | Navigate menus | State intent |

| Policy definition | Configuration | Conversation |

| Data entry | Manual fields | Smart extraction |

| Anomaly detection | Scheduled reports | Proactive alerts |

| Training | Formal sessions | Contextual guidance |

---

Finance/Accounting Lens

• Month-end close efficiency
• Audit trail completeness
• Reconciliation automation
• Cash visibility

CRM Lens

• Pipeline visibility
• Activity capture friction
• Forecast accuracy enablement
• Customer context availability

HRM Lens

• Employee self-service
• Compliance automation (I-9, benefits)
• Manager approval overhead
• Onboarding time-to-productivity

Operations Lens

• Process visibility
• Bottleneck identification
• Exception handling
• Cross-team handoffs

---

End User Interface

• [ ] Can user accomplish top 3 tasks in <30 seconds?
• [ ] Are policies visible before user takes action?
• [ ] Does the AI feel helpful or robotic?
• [ ] Is error handling graceful?
• [ ] Would a new employee understand without training?

Policy Maker / Admin Interface

• [ ] Can policies be created in natural language?
• [ ] Is there confirmation of policy interpretation?
• [ ] Can admin see policy execution history?
• [ ] Are policy conflicts/overlaps surfaced?
• [ ] Is policy editing intuitive?

Manager / Executive Interface

• [ ] Does dashboard show what matters without clicking?
• [ ] Are exceptions surfaced proactively?
• [ ] Can reports be generated conversationally?
• [ ] Is drill-down intuitive?

Overall System

• [ ] Does it feel like "magic" or "software"?
• [ ] Is the AI agent trustworthy?
• [ ] Does this replace a human process or add to it?
• [ ] What's the learning curve?
• [ ] What would make an executive say "finally"?

---

"Form Fatigue"

Too many required fields upfront.

Fix: Smart defaults, progressive disclosure, AI extraction.

"Approval Black Hole"

Submit and disappear into queue with no visibility.

Fix: Status visible to submitter, estimated time, nudge capability.

"Policy Surprise"

User completes work, then gets rejected for policy violation.

Fix: Show policy BEFORE user invests effort.

"Report Archaeology"

Finding information requires running reports, exporting, filtering.

Fix: Natural language queries, inline data, smart search.

"The IT Ticket Wall"

Any configuration change requires IT involvement.

Fix: Self-service policy creation with guardrails.

"Context Switch Tax"

Information needed is in another system/screen.

Fix: Unified interface, embedded context, smart linking.

"Notification Overload"

Everything triggers alerts, nothing is prioritized.

Fix: AI-prioritized exceptions, digest summaries, user preferences.

"Training Debt"

System requires formal training to use.

Fix: Contextual help, progressive complexity, intent-based interface.

---

When reviewing enterprise interfaces, structure feedback as:

```

Domain

[Finance/CRM/HRM/Operations/etc.]

What's Working

• [Specific positive observations]

Critical Issues

• [Blocking problems that must be fixed]

Improvement Opportunities

• [Nice-to-haves that would elevate experience]

Competitive Comparison

• [How this compares to existing solutions in the domain]

AI-Native Gap Analysis

• [What would make this truly AI-native vs. "AI-assisted"]

Recommendation

[Prioritized next steps]

```

---

Use these to get specific persona feedback:

Executive:

• "Review this as a CFO seeing it in a board presentation"
• "What would a COO think during a demo?"

Manager:

• "How would a sales manager use this daily?"
• "Would an HR director trust this for compliance?"

End User:

• "Review as an AP clerk processing 50 invoices/day"
• "How would a new sales rep onboard to this?"

IT/Admin:

• "What would a sys admin think about maintaining this?"
• "How would IT feel about user requests for changes?"

Auditor/Compliance:

• "How would an auditor evaluate the controls here?"
• "What compliance gaps would a regulator find?"

---

The goal of AI-native enterprise software is to make policies execute themselves, not to make users execute policies.

```

Traditional: User learns policy → User follows policy → System records

AI-Native: User states intent → AI applies policy → User confirms

```

Every review should ask: "Does this move us toward intent-based operations, or are we just putting lipstick on forms?"

---

| Domain | Key Systems | Critical Metrics | Primary Pain |

|--------|-------------|------------------|--------------|

| Finance | SAP, NetSuite, QuickBooks | Days to close, error rate | Manual reconciliation |

| CRM | Salesforce, HubSpot | Pipeline accuracy, activity capture | Data entry burden |

| HRM | Workday, BambooHR | Time-to-hire, compliance rate | Process fragmentation |

| SCM | SAP SCM, Oracle | Order accuracy, inventory turns | Visibility gaps |

| Ops | Jira, ServiceNow | Cycle time, SLA adherence | Status tracking |