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When Isabel NV decided to transform Isabel Business Suite from a desktop application into a web application, they realized that redesigning the application to meet the new environment's requirements was a huge challenge. But next to that challenge, Isabel NV definitely wanted to enhance the application's usability.

That's why Isabel NV welcomed Human Interface Group's expertise. Both parties were determined to succeed in designing a brand new user friendly application.

The Project

Isabel NV stands for secure business transactions. The company has partners throughout Europe and has received the "Microsoft Certified Partner" label in the category "Independent Software Vendor". It provides packages for e-banking, e-invoicing, e-government, etc.

One of Isabel NV's products is Isabel Business Suite, a comprehensive e-banking solution. Isabel NV hired Human Interface Group when they decided to turn this multi-bank software package into a web application. Human Interface Group was responsible for designing the framework for the application's user interface.

The Platform

The web application Isabel 6 was developed for Windows (Win2K, WinXP, Vista), and for Internet Explorer 6.0.

The Users

The Isabel user group consists of a highly complex set of user profiles. Depending on their user profile, users will perform different sets of tasks within a workflow. For example: an initiator creates a transaction that will have to be signed by one or more signers before it can be sent to the bank. Other users are allowed to perform all possible tasks.

The Challenge

When Isabel NV decided to turn Isabel Business Suite into a web application, they found themselves facing some major challenges. Turning a desktop application into a web application cannot be done running a one-to-one conversion program overnight. It requires a redesign of the application.

When redesigning the application, Isabel NV aimed to enhance the application's usability. One of the major concerns in doing so, was that the application would have to meet the needs of ALL types of users. On the one hand, a workflow system had to be integrated for users who need guidance in performing a set of tasks. On the other hand, complexity should not be imposed upon users who perform simple tasks. In view of these challenging goals, Isabel NV decided that involving experts in user experience and usability would be money well-spent.

What We Did

Human Interface Group first evaluated the existing desktop application in order to pinpoint its strengths and weaknesses and then defined a new conceptual model for the future web application. The conceptual model was designed to: 

• Support the users' workflow and working methods. 
• Allow users to perform tasks as quickly as possible. 
• Guide users when performing complex tasks by providing feedback. 
• Allow users to perform tasks in a continuous or in a discontinuous way. 
• Provide a dynamic user interface that integrates complexity according to the users' needs. 
• Allow branding for both Isabel NV and its partners.

In the next step, the application's architecture was defined in a navigation model that presents all the pages in the application and per module in a structured way and displays links between them.

Human Interface Group provided the user interface design for a representative set of the application's pages. Design included definition of screen elements, types of user interaction, graphic style and icons.

(Click images to enlarge)

In the course of the design process, the conceptual model, navigation model and user interface design were evaluated during user tests. Test users used a mockup of the application to perform a test that was task-oriented. Additional user opinions were gathered using a questionnaire. User test results were integrated into the previously made designs in order to make them even more user-friendly.

Aiming to facilitate the developers' work, Human Interface Group wrote user interface specifications that provide specific guidelines for the development of every page in the application. Thus, inconsistencies between results of various developers in a team could be reduced.

Finally, Human Interface Group developed a style guide for browser-based applications. The style guide presents a set of guidelines and recommendations to ensure consistency and user-friendliness in all Isabel NV's browser-based applications. 

Results

Positive user feedback was registered during the user tests:

• "The old application is more complicated. This new application is more compact and structured in a better way. When using the old application, I have to think too much before I can perform a task."
• "The application is structured in a logical way. The three modules are clearly separated by the use of different colors, so I can easily find what I am looking for."
• "Very nice layout, pleasant to work with. Clear feedback, logical structure."

Related pages

Refer to:
Services: Design for more information about user interface (re)design, user interface guidelines and standardization;
Services: Evaluation for more information about user tests.