As enterprises rely on complex data portals to manage their operations,
the user experience (UX) must accommodate for the permissions and
security settings for various user roles.
In a recent UX strategy development for a large enterprise data portal, we had a productive discussion with developers on when to show, hide, or disable features based on user roles and permissions. After careful consideration, we established some guidelines to enhance the UX:
If there is no way that an end user can access a feature or function, we advise not showing it to them. This is particularly applicable to system admin features such as Add/Remove users, which most end users will not need.
When an end user has permissions to perform an action, but they have not selected some other setting that activates it, we suggest a "greyed out" approach. This informs the user that the feature is available, but they need to adjust something to activate it. It's best to have a UX design that precisely explains what needs to be done to enable the feature.
But what if the user lacks the permission to perform an action, but they know it's an option and need someone else to grant access, like in the case of adding a user to a group? It depends on the scenario, but we suggest having a disabled feature with a link or "Call to Action" that lets them request access to the feature.
To optimize the UX for enterprise data,
we recommend hiding features that are unattainable for users, greying out features that users can activate themselves, and disabling features that require someone else to grant access. By following these guidelines, we can enhance the overall user experience for enterprise data portals.If you're interested in learning more about how user-centered design can benefit your organization, please contact us at https://www.BrainstormErgonomics.com/contact. Our team is ready to help you develop a design strategy that aligns with your business goals and your users' needs.