ERP, CRM & Finance Management
Platform - Case Study
The Product Itself
Product Overview
D'S ERP is a centralized web-based enterprise platform designed to bring multiple business operations into a connected system.
The product supports different functional areas, including product management, inventory, procurement, orders, sales, finance, human resources, customer management, logistics, reporting, and administration.
The product involved understanding how these functions interact, identifying the information and workflows required by different users, and translating complex business operations into a structured and scalable digital product.
Discover
Industry :
Retail / E-commerce
Platform:
Web Application
Product Type:
End-to-End Product Design
My Role:
Product Designer & UX Researcher
About the Product
What is D'S ERP
D'S ERP is designed as a centralized operational ecosystem where different teams can manage their daily activities while working with connected business data.
Rather than treating every department as an independent system, the product connects the flow of information across multiple business functions.
PRODUCT
↓
INVENTORY
↓
ORDER
↓
SALES
↓
LOGISTICS
↓
FINANCE
VENDOR
↓
PROCUREMENT
↓
PURCHASE ORDER
↓
INVENTORY
↓
FINANCE
For Example
The purpose of the ERP is to create a single connected environment for managing business operations.
Research Objectives
I wanted to answer five key questions:
Understanding Users, Operations & the Data Behind the ERP product.
Research
The research focused on understanding who uses the ERP, what they need to accomplish, how different modules interact, and how information moves through the system.
Rather than researching each feature individually, I looked at the ERP through three connected perspectives: Users, Modules, and Data.
Who are the different users and what are their responsibilities?
What tasks do they perform regularly?
How do different modules and workflows depend on each other?
What information is static, and what changes dynamically?
Where do existing enterprise products succeed or create friction?
User & Role Search
I mapped the primary roles based on their responsibilities, goals, actions, and information needs.
Role
Primary goal
Key needs
Business Owner
Understand overall business performance
KPIs, reports, exceptions
Operations Manager
Monitor daily operations
Orders, inventory, approvals
Inventory Manager
Maintain stock accuracy
Stock, movement, warehouses
Procurement Manager
Manage purchasing
Vendors, requests, POs
Finance Manager
Manage financial operations
Transactions, invoices, payments
Administrator
Control the system
Users, roles, permissions
What information does each role need to see, understand, and act on?
Data Mapping
I mapped information at a high level to understand how data moves through the product and where users need context to complete their tasks. This helped shape clearer navigation and connected experiences without exposing the ERP’s internal architecture.
Example: Product information → Inventory → Order → Finance
Competitor
Focus Area
Opportunity
SAP
Navigation & workflows
Improve hierarchy and clarity
Oracle NetSuite
Dashboards & workflows
Make key actions more discoverable
Microsoft Dynamics
365
Navigation & role-based UX
Reduce cognitive load
Competitor Analysis
UX Observation
Powerful but information-heavy
Strong business visibility
Flexible and scalable
Odoo
Modular experience
Maintain simplicity at scale
Simple and approachable
UX Pattern Research
Data Tables — Studied ways to present dense information while keeping scanning and comparison efficient.
Search & Filters — Looked at patterns that help users quickly locate relevant information within large datasets.
Status & Progress — Reviewed clear ways to communicate workflow states and what needs attention.
Bulk Actions — Explored patterns that reduce repetitive actions for operational users.
Progressive Disclosure — Studied how complex information can be revealed progressively instead of overwhelming users.
Research Synthesis
Enterprise users need clarity without losing access to important information.
Different roles require different levels of information and context.
Complex workflows need visible status, hierarchy, and clear next actions.
Repetitive operational tasks should require minimal interaction effort.
The experience should organize complexity rather than simply remove it.
The research showed that the challenge was not simply to make the ERP visually simpler, but to make complex information easier to understand and act on. I translated these findings into a design direction focused on clarity, efficiency, consistency, and context.
Design Principles
01 — Clarity over complexity
Organize dense information into clear visual hierarchies so users can understand what matters first.
02 — Contextual experiences
Surface relevant information and actions based on the user's task instead of presenting everything at once.
03 — Efficient workflows
Reduce unnecessary steps and support faster completion of repetitive operational tasks.
04 — Consistent system
Create predictable patterns across screens so users can navigate and interact with the product confidently.
Product Thinking
I approached the ERP as a product ecosystem rather than a collection of individual screens. Design decisions were made around user needs, business goals, information hierarchy, and operational efficiency.
Design Goals
Design Direction
Make complex information easier to scan and understand.
Reduce cognitive load in data-heavy workflows.
Create consistent interaction patterns across the experience.
Make important actions and states easier to recognize.
Build a scalable foundation for future product growth.
I translated the research findings into a clear UX structure that helps users move between information, tasks, and actions with less friction. The structure focuses on making frequently used areas easy to access while keeping complex information organized and manageable.
Key User Flow
UX Structure
Wireframe
Mockups
Complex products need structure, not less information. I learned how to organize dense business information without removing what users need.
Research shapes better design decisions. Understanding users, workflows, and their needs helped me move beyond designing screens and focus on solving the right problems.
Consistency matters in enterprise products. Reusable patterns and a clear design system make complex products easier to learn and use.
Designing for different users requires context. Different roles have different priorities, so the experience needs to surface the right information at the right moment.
Good UX connects the whole product. A screen may look simple individually, but its value comes from how it fits into the larger workflow.
Key Learnings
DIVYADHARSINI
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Contact Me
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business.
divyadharsinir3@gmail.com
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