Collaborating to Improve ERP Usability

Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have unintuitive user interfaces that hinder usability, frustrate users, and ultimately interfere with their successful adoption and utilization in organizations. Despite the huge costs associated with poorly implemented systems, ERP usability has received little attention from the research community. It is our contention that existing theories on usability must be extended to address the unique challenges resulting from the size, complexity and integrated functionality of these industrial behemoths. This paper discusses collaboration theory as a potentially beneficial way to conceptualize the relationship between the user and the system and to provide a foundation on which interfaces can be developed that enhance user performance and satisfaction with ERP