Design Principles

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With Microsoft Dynamics NAV, the design goal is to make users feel that information is easily available in a way they can understand, and that taking the next step forward is simple. Since the needs of people using Microsoft Dynamics NAV are different dependent on job roles, it does not make sense to provide everybody with exactly same user interface.

Creating a RoleTailored experience ensures that each person has a great experience that matches the work that they perform.

RoleTailored design

The general principles behind the Microsoft Dynamics NAV RoleTailored design are to:

  • Build an individual experience for each user profile.

  • Help users focus on tasks that are important to their work and performance.

  • Only push information that users want to see.

  • Use terminology and concepts that are right for each user.

  • Create a familiar user interface using the Microsoft design principles.

User interface and interaction

The RoleTailored user interface of Microsoft Dynamics NAV supports users’ work in three distinct activities:

  • Navigation/overview: The user sees the presentation of cues, charts, and lists that make up the Role Center, and moves between the Role Center, entity overviews, and the departmental index of pages.

  • Task execution: After navigating to the correct location, the user opens a task window to perform the work at hand. While working on one task, the user may open additional task pages to incorporate other work.

  • Modal dialog: The user is prompted by the system to provide specific input, select from a lookup list, confirm a possibly unexpected outcome, or acknowledge an important message. Modal means the dialog must be completed before work can continue.

The main navigation window provides the work space for users, and this is where RoleTailoring starts. Based on each user’s job roles, the user must have a dedicated Role Center designed around work activities and tasks. When users are sharing job roles, they can share user profile and work using the same Role Center page.

Example of the main navigation window

Role Center for SO Processor

See Also

Concepts

Designing Great User Experiences
Customization: Configuration and Personalization
Dos and Don'ts