Usability Evaluation of an ERP System

Abstract

Enterprise resource planning systems are complex systems that are used to manage business processes in real time. The goal of implementing an ERP system is to increase the efficiency of business processes. However, low usability can decrease the efficiency of the employees working with the system. There are many different methods to evaluate the usability of systems. The goal of this study is to find what type of Usability Evaluation Methods (UEMs) are suitable for evaluating ERP systems in a company setting. As a use case AFAS Focus is used to conduct the UEMs. A literature review was conducted to find what type of UEMs exist and what kind of feedback they provide. Based on the literature review, three methods were chosen to perform for this study. To obtain qualitative data, user tests were performed. Six people participated in the user tests. To obtain quantitative data, the system usability scale and WalkMe were used. WalkMe is a platform where, among other things, button clicks of the users can be tracked. To structure the qualitative data from the user test, statements from the participants were coded. The number of references per code gave insight in what the participants find important in the ERP system. WalkMe allowed to track the behaviour of all users, giving insight in what navigation paths the users choose and how often functionalities are used. The main results from the usability evaluation show that users would prefer to be able to customise the views in the system, accountants and clients have different needs in an ERP system, and that users navigate through the system in a way they are familiar with, not using the quickest route. To conclude, the used usability evaluation methods are valuable tools to find usability problems in the systems and using a tool such as WalkMe can automate a part of the usability evaluation process. Not only making the system more efficient to work with, but also making the evaluation process more efficient.