Applying human-computer collaboration for improving ERP usability

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are vital to modern organizations for maintaining enterprise-wide operations. The poor usability characteristics of these systems, however, profoundly affect their effective adoption and use, as noted in industry reports [1] and field studies of usage [2], [3]. The work presented here is part of a multi-method research project aimed at significantly improving the usability of ERP systems in order to reduce user training time and increase user performance and efficiency. What distinguishes our approach to improving usability is the application of collaboration theory [4], [5] as a framework for analyzing human-computer interaction and performing system design and evaluation. Humancomputer collaboration requires that the system act as a partner that supports its users in increasingly complex environments of modern applications [6]. This view shifts the burden from the user being the only one with responsibilities and knowledge about the process and leads to specific requirements regarding the knowledge and behavior of the system. To effectively collaborate, both the system and the user must be aware of the context of their interaction and the overall goal, and each must share knowledge of how the goal can be achieved through those interactions. The parties must be responsive to the behaviors and actions of the other, must recognize when the other is in need of support, and must be committed to providing that support whenever possible. Our work draws from this perspective of system-user collaboration, as opposed to collaboration between people that is supported by computing technology (commonly referred to as computer-supported cooperative work, or CSCW). We propose that commonly occurring usability problems experienced by ERP users can be explained as examples of non-collaborative behavior on the part of the system. In testing this proposition, we have conducted field studies aimed at identifying usability issues and evaluating the collaborative properties of ERP systems. Findings from those studies have been used in conjunction with collaboration theory to provide initial support of a conceptual model linking the core properties of collaboration to system usability [2]. This model lays the foundation for a more sophisticated understanding of the relationship between the strength of collaboration properties and the impact of that strength on system usability. Building on our model, we have developed design principles for improving the usability of enterprise systems by improving their collaborative strength [7]. Empirical data from the field studies have also been used to support these principles, which are derived from core requirements of collaboration (namely, knowing the plan and communicating, committing to helping a partner in need, and providing other helpful behaviors for increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the collaborative activities and their likelihood of success). It is this theory-based perspective that differentiates our principles by placing the emphasis on the need for the system to apply its capabilities and knowledge for maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of its interactions with users. To test our design principles and the ability of our proposed interventions for addressing usability limitations identified in the field studies, we have been developing software artifacts [8] and an infrastructure that supports input logging [9]. Access to an input log that relates interactions to particular users, tasks, and domain knowledge is critical to the system's ability to act as an effective collaborative partner. Such access enables a range of applications, from automated extraction of usability information to providing individualized assistance based on histories of prior use aggregated across multiple users. Coupling usage logs with automated planning enables explicit reasoning about how to provide enhanced support to users, particularly in error situations, and is part of our ongoing investigations [10].