How Anaplan’s new UX is democratizing Connected Planning for a mobile-first world
In today’s uncertain and sometimes volatile market, enterprise planning often involves disconnected systems, constantly changing data, and a wide range of stakeholders. Because of this, it can be difficult to collaborate effectively and make agile, real-time decisions in rapidly changing business environments. To mitigate these challenges and continue pioneering the category of Connected Planning, Anaplan recently launched a new User Experience (UX) and mobile application for its Connected Planning platform. Below, we dive into the design challenges of the new UX, how our team solved them, and how its launch led to Anaplan receiving the 2019 Stratus Award for Cloud Computing in the category of Cloud Collaboration.
Connected Planning in an increasingly mobile world
In designing the new UX, our team had to consider a wide range of users in the context of an increasingly mobile world. Diversity in users and use cases created a unique challenge in that the team wasn’t designing for a specific set of use cases, or a specific type of user. The entire project was research driven and required engagement with over 100 companies, hundreds of hours of user and field research, and regularly scheduled consultations with a dedicated UX advisory board, consisting of delegates from our biggest customers. A critical insight gleaned from our research was the importance of mobility in planning. Given the increasingly mobile nature of lines of business such as sale and supply chain, and the fact that many of our customers’ executives never carry a laptop, developing a mobile app became a key component of the new UX.
Inclusive design as a key value of the New UX
Inclusive design was another key value for our team, whose goal in designing the new UX was to be respectful of the differences and needs of all users, including those with unique needs that impact how they interact with our platform. The New UX includes numerous accessibility considerations, such as adhering to standards for color contrast to ensure users with different types of color blindness get the same value as other users. Other example include support for screen readers and keyboard navigation in many areas. As we continue to build out and introduce new features within the new UX, we will build from this foundation to meet additional accessibility standards.
Leading the way in Cloud Collaboration
Shortly after the launch of the new UX, Anaplan was honored by the Business Intelligence Group with the 2019 Stratus Award for Cloud Computing in the category of Cloud Collaboration. This year’s awards recognized 33 companies, services, and executives that are leading the way in the cloud. This exciting recognition illustrates and underlines Anaplan’s position as the global leader in Connected Planning and how the new UX is democratizing planning for all. Large global enterprises and the world’s most recognizable brands use the Anaplan platform to enable real-time planning and gain a competitive advantage by connecting their data, people, and plans within a single interface for better and faster decision making in dynamic business environments.
Enhanced features of the New UX
The key benefits of Anaplan’s New UX include:
- A new, modern user interface (UI) that facilitates enterprise-wide planning and drives personalized experiences for every user of the Anaplan platform. Users enjoy visually impactful, highly customized views and reports to drive insightful planning and analysis for every business group throughout the enterprise.
- A redesigned home screen that provides a personalized experience so users can build plans and execute quickly, access customized views and multidimensional reports, and increase productivity with faster, direct access to the most important information and applications.
- A mobile application for iOS and Android that enables decision making on the go, with a highly responsive and secure experience that simplifies the informed decision-making process across devices.
- Workflow improvements including tasks, notifications, and guided experiences that take users exactly where they need to be for quicker execution and more collaborative planning.
To learn more about the winners of the Stratus Awards for Cloud Computing, visit the official Business Intelligence group website.