My contribution

I conducted card sorting research with users to understand how they expected the system to be structured. I also talked directly with top managers who had deep knowledge of the system, which helped me better understand the complex solution they were building and align the interface with real business needs.

Biggest challenges

One of the main challenges of this project was working with DevExpress VCL for Delphi, which was the component library the development team was starting to adopt at the time. It significantly increased their productivity and development speed, so using it was a non-negotiable technical decision. However, the library was quite limited from a design and interaction perspective. The components strongly resembled the Windows 8 style, which was widely criticized for its usability and design decisions. This limitation directly challenged modern design ideas and made it difficult to create richer interactions and a more contemporary user experience.

The second major challenge was the nature of the product itself. ERP systems are extremely large and complex, and this system had been in use for over 30 years, serving more than 700 companies. Any change, especially in menus and navigation, required a high level of care. Redesigning the entire structure of navigation, as I did, meant balancing innovation with stability, ensuring that improvements did not disrupt long-time users or critical business workflows.

Original version

Redesigned version