As your enterprise plans to implement SAP S/4HANA, you want to learn more about the SAP user experience strategy, and, particularly, the SAP Fiori UI.
Concepts and Influencing Factors
IT and the use of electronic devices is no longer reserved for a group of experts. It has spread throughout all social groups. In this context, high performing hardware stands against a wide variety of software products with differing scope and potential. This puts stress on ease of use from the perspective of the end user. The main drivers of this development are smartphones and tablets, with their easy-to-use and flexible user interfaces. The focus of these user interfaces is no longer on maximum functionality. It is on a positive user experience that places the focus on the consumer. The focus is no longer on the expert user with many years of experience. Due to these circumstances, business software must adapt and transform the impact of this trend into an advantage for the roles of an enterprise. In this evolution, user interfaces (UIs) play an important role.
With regard to SAP software products, the challenge is to keep a clear view and to understand the overall SAP strategy in the area of user experience. Furthermore, it is important to have a clear understanding of the goals and the target groups of each UI technology. This helps to avoid incorrect decisions and situations where users are frustrated.
At the outset, it is helpful to clarify and help understand the terminology. It is useful to start with the terms 'user interface (UI)' and 'user experience (UX)'.
UI versus UX
UI and UX refer to two different ways of thinking:
- UI
- From a software perspective, UI is the interface between a human being and a device. Its goal is to support maximum efficiency during use.
- UX
- UX involves the perspective of the end user, and aims at motivation and emotion before, during, and after use. UX tries to achieve a sustainable, positive attitude in the user and create a motivating experience.
User Types
Depending on the industry and company involved, various user types can be found. There are many different user types, depending on the structure of the specialized area and the IT department, as well as the degree of digitization. However, in almost every company, there are three basic types as follows:
- Occasional User
The occasional user only occasionally uses the system and needs simple, easy-to-use applications. In many cases, single-step transactions are executed.
- Expert User
- Also known as a key user, the expert user is a fully-trained SAP user, who knows the processes and the available applications in detail. The expert user often uses multiple systems and different UIs.
- Developer
- The developer (or programmer) has detailed process and system knowledge, and deals with the adaptation and extension of the existing applications. The developer has to look after several applications with different UIs.
Deployment Types
The deployment type defines the license model and operational environment. The deployment types are as follows:
On-Premise:
The customer buys both software and hardware and operates the combination of these. Therefore, the customer is solely responsible for implementation, updates extension, and adaptation, as well as for replacements and new investments.
Cloud:
The cloud company provides infrastructure (hardware and software) and business software, and rents this combination to the customer. The cloud company is responsible for operation, updates, extension, and new investments. At SAP, different operational models (for example, Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and Private Managed Cloud) with different software and service provisioning are available.
Hybrid:
The customer runs certain parts of the business software on their own servers, and uses additional solutions of a cloud provider. This deployment type requires an intensive integration of the on-premise parts and the cloud parts.
Type of Access
Based on the type of access, applications can be categorized as follows:
Multi-step transactional
Single-step transactional
Single-step analytical
One size fits all?
When summarizing the different factors, it is clear that a "one size fits all" approach does not work.
Target — Unified UX Direction for all SAP Software
The long-term goal of the SAP UX strategy is to offer all business and all analytic applications on SAP HANA, with SAP Fiori as the unified UI.
SAP User Experience Strategy
The SAP user strategy has the following three components:
NEW:
New applications are delivered with the latest UI technology, which in most cases is SAP Fiori.
RENEW:
The most important and widely used applications will have their UIs renovated by SAP.
ENABLE:
The less used applications can be improved by the customer using various technologies.
NEW, RENEW, and ENABLE — Examples
Examples of the NEW component include the following:
SAP Fiori for new applications
SAP Visual Business (supports certain new applications)
SAP Visual Enterprise (supports certain new applications)
Examples of the RENEW component include the following:
SAP Fiori as common UI for all devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone)
SAP Fiori for existing applications (for example, cloud applications including SAP Fieldglass, SAP Ariba, and SAP SuccessFactors)
SAP Fiori for existing SAP graphical user interface (GUI) or Web Dynpro applications
Single entry point via NWBC
Examples of the ENABLE component include the following:
Improving and simplifying SAP GUI or Dynpro-based views using view Personas
Adapting and extending standard SAP Fiori apps using Web IDE
Customizing different UIs using color schemes, fonts, icons, and so on, and customizing company logos using UI Theme Designer
View Personas is available for SAP GUI or Dynpro-based views (Web Dynpro support is planned), and Web IDE is available for SAP UI5 applications. The UI Theme Designer is available for the following:
SAPUI5 (including SAP Fiori applications and SAP Fiori Launchpad)
Web Dynpro ABAP, Web Dynpro Java
SAP GUI for HTML
Business Server Pages, HTMLB
SAP Business Client for Desktop
SAP Enterprise Portal
Types of SAP Fiori Apps
Transactional SAP Fiori apps need an ABAP environment and are often used for single-step transactions. Analytical apps and Fact Sheets are SAP HANA-based, and often contain new functionality.
SAP Fiori Architecture
The SAP Fiori architecture consists of the following levels:
HTML5 client (SAP Fiori launchpad)
ABAP front-end server, with a central UI component and SAP Fiori roles implemented
ABAP back-end system
Database (SAP HANA or AnyDB)
The SAP Fiori launchpad is a role-based, personalized UI client that enables users to access SAP Fiori apps alongside established UIs. The SAP Fiori launchpad is based on SAPUI5 and can be used on multiple devices (leveraging the responsive design paradigm) and deployed on multiple platforms (SAP NetWeaver Application Server [ABAP Stack], SAP Enterprise Portal, and SAP HANA Cloud Platform). The SAP Fiori launchpad comes with predefined content to streamline implementation processes.
The SAP Fiori launchpad is aligned with the two main UI clients: SAP Enterprise Portal (available) and SAP Business Client (planned). This alignment is achieved as follows:
Alignment with the SAP Enterprise Portal is achieved by running the SAP Fiori launchpad user experience within the SAP Enterprise Portal (also known as SAP Fiori framework page) while leveraging the established portal infrastructure and best practices.
Alignment of SAP Business Client (BC) for Desktop with SAP Fiori launchpad design is planned for future releases.
SAP Fiori Launchpad
You can also use the existing SAP GUI transactions in the SAP Fiori launchpad, together with the SAP Business Client or via your web browser. Most SAP GUI transaction exist in S/4HANA as well.
