Demo : How to improve User Interface

Let's me describe a demo i was involved in :

The goal was to demonstrate how the new version of my software ( SAP ERP ) would allow our customer to enhance the user interface of their current application. To prepare this demo I started to think about user interface and why it is important for our customer. I came up with this idea that user interface topic is not so much about a nice looking field but rather has to do with such higher values like :

• Leveraging the users acceptance
• Improving the users productivity
• Reducing the cost and the duration of trainings

For this presentation i decided to show them how the same process scenario could be enhanced by the software tools of my new release and so i created 2 demos : BEFORE the new version and AFTER the new version.

"Before the new version" is the story of a demo that is fine but challenged a little bit by some remarks from the users :

• "Why the relevant fields are located on 2 different screens ?"
• " I only want fields that are important and relevant for me"
• " It would be nice to be able to decide about the screens and fields sequences"
• " I would appreciate a web environment"

"After the new version" tells the story of how the user interface was improved, driven by creativity and new technologies. I tried to add some fun and simplicity in my slides in order to suggest that fun is also a part of my software.

This demo was well perceived by the customer from a usability perspective and helped them to choose my software for their new application. Our competitor was a Web 2.0 product with rather poor features integration but with a nice interface. Our demo proved that they will get both integration value ( reducing error and increasing visibility ) and a first class user interface that increases productivity, boots user satisfaction and reduces training duration.