SAP UI History
By Gerd Waloszek, SAP User Experience, SAP AG – January 21, 2010
Older SAP User Interfaces | Current SAP User Interfaces
Typically, people are interested in what's new and what the future will provide us with. Sometimes, however, it is useful or even enlightening to look back and ask where you are coming from. This is also true for the history of user interface (UI) design. For a number of years already, the SAP Design Guild offers three pages outlining the UI history of SAP's enterprise software, Web applications, and icons. But being on the Internet for about ten years now, the SAP Design has a lot more to offer than just these three pages. Therefore, we decided to expand the "history" corner in our Goodies section and add a number of mostly outdated, but historically interesting articles. Some cover the visual and branding aspects of SAP's user interface, while others refer to the UI design strategy itself. On this page, we provide a brief overview of our collection.
For your convenience and for comparison purposes, we also list some articles at the bottom of the page that cover current SAP user interfaces.
Older SAP User Interfaces
Overviews
- R/3 History in Screen Shots (2004)
This page illustrates the evolution of the R/3 user interface, starting with terminal-based R/2 screens – R/2 was the predecessor to R/3 – and ending with screens demonstrating the multiple-area approach at about 2004. - Short History of SAP's Web Applications (2004)
This page shows screen dumps that illustrate the history of SAP's Web applications (about 1996-2004). - Short History of R/3 Icons (2004)
This page presents a short history of R/3 icons at SAP AG. It also offers some information on the usage of icons with old-new comparisons, and shows the symbol font SAPDings.
Branding
- The History of Product Branding
at SAP (2003)
This article traces the history of SAP's product design and branding strategy, beginning with the early days of business software and concluding with a glimpse at the newest generation of SAP software. - Extending a Software Brand Language
Across the Vendor, the Customer, and the User (2003)
This articles looks at the developments between 2000 and 2003 with respect to GUI branding and lists essential elements in GUI branding. - Creating the SAP Product Language (2004)
This article (without illustrations) describes the work of SAP's Product Design Center (PDC; now: Visual Design), which was dedicated to ensuring a consistent user interface throughout the SAP product family.
UI Patterns
- Software Design with User Interface
Patterns: Centered on the User (2003)
This article describes SAP's very first approach to UI patterns. It was applied to the development of mySAP Customer Relationship Management (mySAP CRM) 3.1. - Introduction to
User Interface Patterns at SAP (2003)
This is an introductory article about SAP's user interface patterns approach from 2003. - User Interface Patterns • Components
for User Interfaces ( 2004)
The first part of the article describes the extended pattern approach used at SAP around 2004. The remainder of the article shows how the patterns are derived from generic user tasks and then mapped on the user interface.
See also
For those interested in the Enjoy initiative, starting in 1998, we also recommend looking into our "philosophy edition" from 2000, which collects articles from the very first version of the SAP Design Guild Website("Continuous Improvement!"; see disclaimer below). From a UI history perspective, the most relevant articles are:
- EnjoySAP: A Success Story
- Reinvigorating the SAP Brand
- Branding Methods
- SAP GUI Color Usage for Brand and Emotional Qualities
- Graphics Usage for Brand and Personalization Qualities within SAP Applications
Please note that these articles have not been copied to the Goodies section and still remain in their original locations.
Disclaimer: Please note that the articles collected in the philosophy edition were written in 2000. Therefore, statements in the articles, particularly those regarding SAP's products, product strategy, branding strategy, and organizational structure, are no longer valid.
Further details can also be found in the Resources Archive.
Current SAP User Interfaces
Please note that the following articles have not been copied to the Goodies section and still remain in their original locations. They are listed here for comparison purposes.
Current Signature Visual Design
The following articles on the SAP Design Guild cover SAP's new and current "Signature" visual design:
- A Fresh Look for a Better User Experience (2008)
- Visual Design for Business Software (2008)
- Visual Design at SAP – Revolutions and Evolutions (2008)
- The Signature Design under the Microscope (2008)
- SAP's Visual Design Vision and Mission (2008)
Current UI Design at SAP
The following articles describe the current SAP CRM Web UI and SAP's current UI strategy for enterprise software.
- Providing a Web-Like User
Experience to Business Users – The New SAP CRM Web Client User Interface (2008)
SAP first started to offer a completely Web-based CRM user interface with release 3.1 of the SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application. This UI was virtually the first "pattern-based" interface for an SAP software product. The simple hierarchical pattern of SAP CRM 3.1 was then enhanced and improved, culminating in the launch of SAP CRM version 5.0. In 2008, it was then time for a radical overhaul of the CRM Web user interface, which was given a more contemporary and modern look and feel in line with the general trend for Web applications. - User Interface Guidelines – An
Introduction (2009)
SAP's UI design strategy reflects a paradigm shift in its approach to user interface design. It is characterized by the transition from a rather transaction-centered approach towards user-centered methodologies and concepts.
