Evolution and futur of the UX on SAP

A bit of history…

In 2000, when I first discover SAP with R3, it is a management software with a plain user interface. The only embellishment that we can create as developers are the design of tables and the use of seven colors to vamp the reports. The main concern is more on the reliability and strength of the system than in its ease of use.

With the release of the 4.5 version, SAP brings new components such as texteditor, html viewers and the well-known ALV grid that offer a new interactivity with the user. You can triple your reports, make sums, navigate between screens and export to excel: a revolution!

The next revolution will be the Web. The Web Application Server, along with Business Server Pages and Web Dynpro ABAP will finally allow the development of user interface for navigation and thus get free from the thick client. 

In 2012, with the boom of the tablets and smartphones, we (at VISEO) were looking to bring SAP content to those new devices. We decided to start using the HTML5 framework Sencha Touch and realized many iPad apps with it.

In 2013, with the unveiling of SAPUI5, the HTML5 framework developed by SAP, we have the feeling that this framework might become more important with the upcoming releases and decided to start using it for some projects.

SAP confirms the importance of this framework by realizing its own SAPUI5 under the name Fiori Apps. A new revolution is here. 

S/4 HANA and SAP Fiori 2.0

Today with the implementation of S/4 HANA we are far from the ERP from the 2000’s. The user interface is now the Fiori Launchpad, either on S/4 HANA or SAP Cloud. The SAP user approves the workflows from its smartphone and checks the KPIs with his tablet. 

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SAP Fiori brings an identical user experience on all the devices: tablet, smartphone, PC. The idea is to provide the user with a simple and on point interface by presenting him the day to day tasks and follow up markers for his business.

Moreover, the power of the SAP HANA database allows the indexation of all the SAP objects and therefore offers the user a way to quickly find all the information around a supplier, product or any SAP object.

At the end of 2016, with the release 1610 of S/4 HANA, SAP evolves his Fiori Interface to Fiori 2.0 that brings an all-new bunch of things. It uniformizes the “design” of the app, whether they have been developed in SAPUI5, Web Dynpro or are classical SAP GUI apps the outcome is the same. 

One of the main innovation is in the user interface extension with on the left side the history of consulted apps, the possibility to personalized its Launchpad and on the right side the list of notifications received by the user allowing him a faster navigation to the task he wishes to accomplish.

New components have also been added to the developers’ palette: the Overview Page, the List Report and the Object Page. The goals are to create a simple interface for the user, increase the productivity, allow a quick access to pertinent information and help the user to make the right decision. 

SAP CoPilot, the next revolution?

Siri, Alexa, Google Home, Cortana, the vocal assistants are everywhere and growing. According to the Gartner institute, the AI, Machine learning, and smart apps are among the 10 strategic technologies for 2017.

SAP is not behind and, with SAP CoPilot introduce the digital assistant to the company. This last one announced for the second trimester of 2017 in the 1705 release of S/4 Hana cloud edition, will allow to communicate using text, movement or voice with the S/4 system.

It will be able to analyses the business environment of a conversation to add information on the concerned objects. The SAP CoPilot AI will learn contextual data and will make recommendations of actions according to them. 

We are now way further than the ABAP report that we used to create on R3. S/4 HANA and Fiori offer a modern user interface and continues its innovation by bringing customer new possibilities to realize easily and efficiently their tasks in the company and by accelerating the decision-making and action processes. 

You might also be interested in: 10 tips for a successfull migration on SAP HANA
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