If software vendors want healthcare facilities to consider purchasing replacement products or upgrading applications then they should make user interface design a higher priority, according to a recent study on user interfaces conducted by Forrester Consulting for Lawson Software, St. Paul, MN.

Forrester surveyed 230 chief information officers, information technology directors and information technology managers to determine if an application’s user interface affects their organization’s software buying decisions and business productivity. The study found 82 percent of respondents consider a software application’s user interface a determining factor when deciding to replace applications. In addition, 90 percent of respondents identify user interface as a priority when purchasing an addition to their existing application infrastructure. 

According to the study, IT executives see a high correlation between the quality of the user interface and business productivity, the study found. In fact, 86 percent of respondents point to an application’s user interface as a primary reason for business productivity improvements. Eighty-four percent of respondents argue that a well-designed user interface decreases error rates, and 76 percent of those surveyed state that a good user interface reduces user support requests.

"We’ve found that while a basic browser interface may be easy to deploy and simple for many casual users, it’s not actually enough for employees who spend a lot of time interacting with enterprise applications," said Dean Hager, senior vice president of product management for Lawson. "The fact is that most employees expect a richer user experience, and that has led us to re-think interface design in a very comprehensive way."

Lawson introduced the Smart Client user interface for its Lawson M3 7.1 applications last year to help provide a more intuitive user experience and to help give users a new level of control in managing their work environment. Smart Client allows user-specific customization and personalization to put the right tools and information on each user’s screen.

Choose wisely and theoretically you’ll have the computing horsepower you need to manage expenses for your facility. Choose foolishly (devoid of background homework) and you could be saddled with a system that either needs significant internal reconfiguring by your IT department or costly replacement too soon.

But the ultimate question is whether the system you select will fit within your organization’s operations – including financial. Successful supply chain management activities require data that can be collected, organized, analyzed and interpreted so that they can be distributed as useful information to drive bottom-line and top-line results.

Shopping for a new or replacement materials management information system? Here are a few words of wisdom from Jamie Kowalski, managing director of business development for Owens & Minor Inc. to add some clarity to the evaluation process.

Don’t address the strategy and process, which is frequently lacking, but rather the functional capabilities of the software you’re interested in, according to Kowalski.

1. Is a ROI required for an investment in a new MMIS? If so, how is a ROI being achieved? Who is tracking the actual vs. the projected ROI? If a ROI is not required, why not? "I think they can and should," Kowalski said. "MMIS should and can be self-funded."

2. Is the info technology strategy to select best-of-breed or comprehensive ERP? What is good and not good about either? Who makes the final decision on that direction/strategy? Who should? "Given that the supply chain makes up about 50 percent of total operating expenses and soon will exceed 50 percent, the needs of supply chain management must be given priority," he said. "If an ERP has too many gaps compared to best-of-breed, then best-of-breed should be selected."

3. Is the MMIS intended to process transactions and report on them or provide the visibility and analytics needed for optimum supply chain spend and management performance? "While MMIS’ are improving on their analytic capabilities, they still appear to be primarily good transaction processors," he noted. "That is okay since there are many gap-filling tools out there that can now integrate with a pure MMIS or ERP in a complementary manner."

4. MMIS buyers must make sure that they recognize the need for thorough training and retraining – for remedial and new employees – and not cut that out of the budget when acquiring the MMIS. Without the training, supply chain staff will be unable to tap the full capabilities in either the ERP or best of breed system. This means the probability of a strong ROI will be very low.

5. The MMIS must be recognized as an enabler or tool that helps the supply chain and other staffs achieve optimized operational and financial performance – the means, not the ends. "Someone must take action with the data and information produced," he said. "The system will not take the action."

Hidden costs of RFID/RTLS

Sources

Active RFID asset tracking