Crafting a Seamless User Journey: Elevating Sapio365 with User-Centric Design
Web Design
Mission
Our mission was to revitalize the user interface and user experience of Ytria's Sapio365, focusing on enhancing both aesthetics and functionality to better meet the needs of IT administrators managing Microsoft 365.
We aimed to make the tool more intuitive and visually appealing, moving beyond basic functionality to create a seamless and engaging experience for users.
This involved rethinking the design from the ground up, ensuring that every element aligned with the practical daily needs of its users and leveraging the Microsoft Fluent design system to ensure continuity with other Microsoft services.
Outcome
The collaboration resulted in a transformative redesign of Sapio365, where key features such as session management and dashboard interfaces were significantly improved for clarity and ease of use.
Our design enhancements not only made the application more aesthetically appealing but also more practical, enabling users to navigate its features with greater ease and efficiency. The restructuring of the onboarding process and optimization of the dashboard and job management systems are prime examples of how design can directly enhance software usability and functionality.
Impact
The redesign significantly enhanced user engagement and satisfaction, as evidenced by positive feedback from IT administrators who noted a marked improvement in both the tool's usability and their overall productivity. This has led to increased adoption and customer retention for Ytria, cementing Sapio365’s position as a leading solution in Microsoft 365 management.
Our role as a design partner was pivotal in transforming Sapio365 into a tool that not only meets the functional requirements of today’s IT environments but does so with an interface that is both intuitive and aligned with user expectations.
Partnering with Ytria to Elevate Sapio365
Ytria engaged our team to elevate the user interface and overall user experience of their Sapio365 software, recognizing the need for a more intuitive and efficient design to keep pace with the evolving demands of their users. As a critical tool for simplifying Microsoft 365 management, it was essential that Sapio365 not only perform reliably but also present a visually appealing and navigable interface.
This redesign was geared towards enhancing support for IT administrators by making the software less reliant on PowerShell scripts and reducing the likelihood of errors. Sapio365 offers comprehensive visibility across all tenants, enables safe bulk operations, and allows for the creation of custom reports and efficient security management. These features empower administrators to complete their tasks more swiftly and confidently, thereby boosting productivity and enhancing data security.
Building the Foundation for a Smooth Experience
Sapio365 stands out as a Windows-native application capable of efficiently managing and updating large volumes of data, a feature that sets it apart from typical web applications. Originally, the technology stack used for Sapio365 imposed certain limitations on the user interface design and functionality. However, the introduction of web technologies into our development process provided the flexibility needed to innovate and enhance the interface.
Our decision to implement Microsoft's Fluent design system came after careful consideration and detailed discussions with the client about their strategic goals. This design system was chosen for its wide recognition and familiarity among Sapio365 users, who are often also users of other Microsoft services that utilize the same system. The adoption of Fluent design not only facilitated a smoother user transition to the updated interface but also expedited our development cycle.
This allowed for quicker iterations and testing, ultimately leading to a user interface that is both modern and user-centric. The integration of Fluent design into Sapio365 has proven to be a key factor in its successful adoption and overall user satisfaction.
Designing a Welcoming Onboarding Flow
During our evaluation of the onboarding process, we identified a user experience issue related to the license code entry. Users who skipped entering a license code found themselves with limited access, facing a home screen that failed to clearly display the available features. To address this, we prioritized a comprehensive redesign of the home screen.
Our objective was to ensure that all functionalities were immediately visible and accessible upon login, enabling users to quickly begin utilizing the app. Additionally, we enhanced the overall aesthetics and usability of the onboarding process to improve initial user interactions and ensure a smoother, more engaging entry into the application.
Streamlining Session Management for Maximum Efficiency
Session management is a pivotal feature of Sapio365, enabling users to operate multiple sessions with distinct roles simultaneously. This functionality allows users to manage various organizations from a single interface. Previously, the session management feature within the user interface was not optimally designed for clarity or ease of navigation. The main issue was its placement in the top navigation bar, where users were overwhelmed by a clutter of labels, options, and session lists. It was particularly challenging to distinguish between active, open, or previously used sessions, especially when the list extended beyond the limited space of the top bar.
To enhance the user experience, we undertook a redesign of the session management display. We relocated the entire functionality to the left sidebar, which became the dedicated area for managing sessions. Here, we clearly categorized different types of sessions: active sessions were highlighted with all available options readily accessible, open sessions were positioned directly below for quick switching, and recent sessions were placed in an expandable section for additional details as needed. This new arrangement not only improved the visibility and accessibility of session information but also provided more vertical space, allowing for a cleaner presentation without sacrificing functionality. As a result, users can now seamlessly navigate between sessions, enhancing productivity and efficiency in managing multiple tasks.
A Personalized Dashboard for Informed Decisions
The dashboard is a critical component of the app, serving as the initial interface users engage with after completing the onboarding process. Its design and functionality vary depending on whether users have entered a license code. Registered users gain immediate access to their data and records through well-organized quick access shortcuts. To augment this initial experience, we enhanced the dashboard with new features such as numerical counters that provide essential information at a glance, streamlining user interaction.
Additionally, we introduced a dedicated area on the right side of the dashboard designed to display pertinent information and actions that users will frequently need throughout their interaction with the application. This area is specifically tailored to include schedules for upcoming and custom jobs, along with key metrics related to various data groups. This structured approach not only enriches the user's immediate view but also facilitates a smoother workflow by keeping essential tools and data within easy reach.
Empowering Automation with Intuitive Job Design
A fundamental component of Sapio365 is its jobs feature, which consists of shell scripts designed to simplify complex data tasks without requiring users to have expertise in shell scripting. This feature not only includes standard management functionalities but also offers custom jobs and operations that are unique to Sapio365, significantly enhancing user productivity and data management efficiency.
Our aim was to enhance how jobs are presented and utilized within the application. We embarked on a redesign of the job listing interface to improve how users interact with various job categories. This redesign involved refining the navigation and optimizing search and filtering capabilities, allowing users to find and execute jobs more efficiently. Additionally, we introduced a job details pane on the right side of the screen, making effective use of the interface space to provide users with easy access to relevant data and actions. This pane includes a new job scheduling feature that substantially improves the app's automation capabilities. By these improvements, we not only streamlined the user interface but also enhanced functionality across various aspects of job management, such as managing favorites, customizing jobs, and accessing frequently used operations.
Creating an Intuitive Report Generation Experience
Initially, generating reports in the app was not user-friendly. Users faced the cumbersome task of navigating through extensive job listings or searching by name to initiate report creation. Recognizing that this process created unnecessary friction, we decided to make a significant change.
We moved report generation to its own dedicated section within the app, streamlining access to this important feature. Now, users can quickly transition to a specialized reporting area where they can effortlessly configure various parameters and options to create reports. This adjustment has substantially improved the user experience and usability, making a previously underutilized feature both accessible and functional.
Transforming Raw Data into Actionable Insights
The data grid, a crucial component of Sapio365, was the focus of our final enhancement efforts within the application. Recognizing the need for a more user-friendly presentation, we aimed to optimize how data management options are visually displayed. Our enhancements centered on improving both the presentation of the data grid and the job center area, crucial for efficient data handling.
We made significant strides by clearly distinguishing between jobs that affect all records and those applicable only to selected entries, thus clarifying the scope and type of each job. Additional refinements included enhancing the detailed view of data, improving the overall look and functionality of the grid, and introducing better data grouping and visibility features. These improvements have made managing data more intuitive and visually appealing, thereby enhancing the overall user experience within Sapio365.
Final Thoughts
The comprehensive redesign of Ytria's Sapio365 is a definitive example of how purposeful, user-centered design can profoundly enhance the functionality of enterprise software. Through our partnership with Ytria, we were able to thoroughly understand and address the unique challenges faced by IT administrators, applying precise design solutions to improve their daily operations.
The adoption of the Microsoft Fluent design system played a key role in this transformation, not only elevating the visual aesthetics and familiarity for users but also simplifying the navigation and enhancing overall functionality. This led to increased productivity and reduced effort for users.
The positive feedback from Ytria's customers and a noticeable increase in software adoption highlight the real-world advantages of our design enhancements. This project reaffirms Tenscope's dedication to improving user experiences, showcasing that effective design transcends aesthetics by making technology more efficient and intuitive for its users.
Ytria’s extensive knowledge of their users greatly enhanced our design process. By working together, we managed to simplify complex features without compromising their effectiveness. Conducting user tests was instrumental, as it highlighted unnoticed issues and led us to more intuitive design solutions. This project reaffirmed our commitment to an iterative design approach. The client’s enthusiasm for the finished product was a huge motivator for our entire team. We look forward to seeing the benefits it brings to its users.
