This section contains articles covering many aspects of the user centered design process that we practice at Oracle. From understanding how our users work, through prototyping designs, to conducting usability tests, these show the importance we place on high quality design. Editor: Kristin Desmond, Misha Vaughan is the editor-in-chief, and Jeremy Ashley is the head of the department producing the site.
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Recent Article |
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Customers Reveal Top Enterprise Software Usability Issues to Oracle |
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Customers shared their top usability issues about enterprise software at a recent powwow in Oracle’s Conference Center in Redwood Shores, California. The occasion was the March 28, 2008, kick-off meeting of the Oracle Usability Advisory Board, a new opportunity for collaboration between Oracle, expert usability consultants, and customers, to impact enterprise software usability for the good. |
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Feature Article |
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How We Collect User Data at Oracle |
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At Oracle, we believe in getting our user interface designs right. To accomplish this, we ask users about their wants and needs, and we observe them using existing and proposed software. We involve a variety of users, including customers, partners, and end users, depending on the product or flow that we are testing. We bring users into our state-of-the-art usability labs located around the world. Through interactive experiences with our usability professionals, we obtain a clearer picture of any issues with a given design, and we use this information to improve the design. This process is repeated throughout the lifetime of a product. |
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Feature Article |
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Getting to Know Our Users Well |
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A couple of years ago, I went to Montana in an effort to improve Oracle’s financial applications. No, Oracle doesn’t have a secret development facility hidden in the heart of Montana! The State of Montana uses Oracle software to manage its financials, and I went there, along with other researchers, designers, and strategists, to listen to and observe the people who use the software on a daily basis. My site visit team consisted of three people: a visual designer, who designs the look and feel of the software; a product strategist, who has intimate knowledge of the software; and me, a usability engineer... |
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Featured Article |
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Working with Standards Organizations |
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In the late 1990s, I had the good fortune to be part of a significant joint effort between industry and government to create standards for usability testing. This was called the Industry Usability Reporting (IUsR) Project, and it was run by the National Institutes for Standards and Technology (NIST). My interest in the project stemmed from a request from Boeing, a major enterprise software customer of Oracle. Boeing had productivity goals in place for use of software; it wanted users to be able to come up to speed on commercial off-the-shelf software quickly, without excessive learning curves or help-desk support. |
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Article Archive |
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Designing the Mobile Experience |
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What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Always Stay in Vegas |
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