The usability team at OpenERP provided feedback on ways to improve the user experience and interface based on their testing as blind users. They found issues in areas like search views, widgets, and business flows that impacted over 40% of users. The team recommended simplifying elements, removing redundant or unused features, and improving documentation of complex features to make OpenERP more accessible and usable for all types of customers.

1. OpenERP
Feedback from our useability team.
- Fabien Pinckaers, CEO -
April 12th, 2012
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2. We are blind!
✔ We use to work with
OpenERP. We are blind !
✔ An evidence for us can be an
issue for lambda users
✔ If we want OpenERP to be
sexy and accessible to the
mass, we have to satisfy
the smallest companies.
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3. Example: Search View
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4. Search View: users take search for a
form
✔ V6.0: issue for 100 % of users
✔ V6.1: issue for 42.9 % of users
✔ V7.0: issue for 0% of users (to be confirmed)
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5. Useability Statistics
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6. Timing Comparison 6.0/6.1
Number of minutes to perform a full business flow for a lambda user.
(Quotation → Sale Order → Delivery Order → Invoicing → Payment)
20 19.8
19.44
16
14.16
11.93
12
6.0
8 6.1
4
0
PO SO
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7. Main issues encountered in 6.1
(%)
Widgets 73.68
Business Flow 56.35
Search View 46.43
Configuration 38.19
Kanban View 37.5
Page View 33.33
List View 28.57
Form View 14.29
Menu 14.28
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
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8. Global score given by users (/10)
10
8
6 5.5
6.0
4 6.1
2
0.6
0
Score /10
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9. Useability Examples
V7.0 – demo new design
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10. Useability Process
 We need to analyze: Google Analytics on SaaS
• Statistics to know what to improve
• Measurable feedback to know how to improve
 Organize communication on every new features
 Do user testing with lambda users per new feature, at least one usertesting.com
per feature.
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11. Widgets: m2o
✔ V6.0: issues for 33 % of users
✔ V7.0: issues for 73.6 % of users
✔ Improvement for 6.1:
✔ Quick create
✔ Create and edit
✔ Improvements for 7:
✔ Tooltip if the record is not created
✔ Simplification by removing widget icon
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12. Simplification → Remove Elements
Simplification → Remove Elements
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13. Simplification through reduction
 To simplify, we must reduce!
 Remove what's:
• Redundant
• Not used
 Hide:
• What's not required to use the application
 Adding features → complexity for the application
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14. Remove redundant/unused features
 To be removed:
• Shortcuts → if the menu is simple, we don't need shortcuts. This
would require to review the menu.
• Homepage → directly go to the latest application. Confusing to
have two way to access a root app like “Sale”.
• Dashboards → nobody use them, put in Reporting section
• Top right toolbar → with home, preferences, help...; simplify ala
google
• Pager / Multi-Views on one2many → only if several exists
• Menu tips (use them in empty lists or help tooltip only)
• Res.Logs (directly integrated in the history of a document,
through the new “chatter” system)
• Default filters on state for list views
• Edit icon (pencil) in lists (they click on the record, then click
edit)
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15. Extended View: Simplify Forms
We don't need all those stuff in simplified view!
Current forms are overloaded.
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16. Extended View: Web Client Elements
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17. Example: Social Feature
• In v7.0, social widget replace:
– Information fields (create date, validated by, ...)
– Internal requests system
– “Res.log” message system
– Communication & History tab on opportunities
– View Log (created, modified by...) feature
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18. Example 2: Remove Address
On single “Contacts” menu for Partners, Addresses,
Contacts. → No need anymore to have two fields
(partner, address) per document (sale order,
invoices, ...)
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19. Page view of documents
Page view of documents
An invoice should look like an invoice.
An invoice should look like an invoice.
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20. Information is beautifull
OpenERP forms have been designed for a creation / edition purpose. But
when people browse existing data, they have a completely different
need. We need to show the information efficiently !
Not usefull when browsing or using
customers, but good for creation !
I propose to create a PAGE view, which
is the current readonly form → example
on partners.
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21. Page View, example 2
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22. Don't make me think.
We should better guide the user to the next step
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23. Next Steps: not too much possibilities
What should I do ?
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24. Propose next steps
Only one main
button/option
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25. Example: blinksale.com
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26. Easy to use / configure
Easy to use / configure
Explain complex features
Explain complex features
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27. Avoid configuration menu
 Configure from the main document itself!
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28. Explain complex features (1/4)
Complex features must be explained
Complex features must be explained
by an image or a dynamic sentence.
by an image or a dynamic sentence.
← Javascript Tangle lib
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29. Explain complex features (2/4)
Complex features must be explained
Complex features must be explained
by an image or a dynamic sentence.
by an image or a dynamic sentence.
Test Tangle here: http://worrydream.com/#!/Tangle
It's impossible to compute good mini/maxi without complex computations !
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30. Explain complex features (3/4)
Complex features must be explained
Complex features must be explained
by an image or a dynamic sentence.
by an image or a dynamic sentence.
When changing a value, it updates the flow schema.
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31. Misc Improvements
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32. Many2Many
 Should be like a many2one with tags inside.
 Exemples:
• Taxes on invoice lines
o Will allow many2many in editable lists.
• Categories on partners
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33. Train new users
Empty lists must display an instructive message on how to
proceed. → good replacement for our current menutips.
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34. Better Workflow
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35. Review main flows: SO
 More business oriented:
• You do not want to print a quotation → you want to send it to
the customer (you may need to print it to do so, or email)
• Sending a quotation to customer IS a step in the process
• Done is not clear → Paid is better
 ONE (and only one) button must mark clearly the NEXT action to
avoid the user to think (what should I do now?)
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