How to Be a Hero:
Anticipating a New
Generation of Users
1
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Agenda and Goals
• Dramatic Improvements
in Information Presentation
• User Empowerment with a
New Generation of Interactivity
• Application Experience Drives
Unprecedented User Adoption
• The Emergence of Tech Populism
• Conclusions
2
Actuate Corporation © 2011
AGENDA
Dramatic Improvements
in Information Presentation
3
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Good User Experience
is Good Business
Online experience is
#1 marketing outlet
Source: Forrester Research
4
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Agenda and Goals
• Dramatic Improvements
in Information Presentation
• User Empowerment with a
New Generation of Interactivity
• Application Experience Drives
Unprecedented User Adoption
• The Emergence of Tech Populism
• Conclusions
5
Actuate Corporation © 2011
AGENDA
Web 2.0 Applications
Make Users More Productive
6
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Consumer Applications Set
the Trend for Business Applications
User Expectations are Increasing
Sales Compensation
Finance and Billing
Human Resources
Product Sales
Expenses
Profitability Analysis
Revenue Reporting
7
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Fraud Reporting
Evening
Daytime
Interactivity Increases User Productivity
Rich Internet Applications: Not Just for Customers
“To get the most from their workforces, firms should design employeefacing tools… and look for opportunities to leverage RIA’s specific
capabilities to improve usability.” Forrester Research
RIAs Bring People-Centered Design to Information Workplaces
“Because RIAs improve the way people find and manipulate content, complete
transactions, and consume multimedia content, these technologies are ideal for
improving the user experience for information workers.” Forrester Research
Web 2.0 self-service applications
are the blueprint for future Business
Intelligence and reporting applications
8
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Agenda and Goals
• Dramatic Improvements
in Information Presentation
• User Empowerment with a
New Generation of Interactivity
• Application Experience Drives
Unprecedented User Adoption
• The Emergence of Tech Populism
• Conclusions
9
Actuate Corporation © 2011
AGENDA
Application Experience Drives Adoption
RIA = Rich Internet Applications
Hide Complexity
• Unified view across systems
• Diverse data, complex
interactions
Increase Usability
• Focus on key user activities
• Information in context of task
Retain Flexibility
• Guided interaction
• Users can explore information
Google Finance
10
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Importance of Application Experience
11
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Agenda and Goals
• Dramatic Improvements
in Information Presentation
• User Empowerment with a
New Generation of Interactivity
• Application Experience Drives
Unprecedented User Adoption
• The Emergence of Tech Populism
• Conclusions
12
Actuate Corporation © 2011
AGENDA
The Emergence of Tech Populism
Forrester Research
13
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Jeffrey Hammond, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research - March, 2010
Tech Populism
A Paradigm Shift
14
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Jeffrey Hammond, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research - March, 2010
Tech Populism
Users Will Find Ways to Be Self-Sufficient
15
Actuate Corporation © 2011
Jeffrey Hammond, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research - March, 2010
Agenda and Goals
• Dramatic Improvements
in Information Presentation
• User Empowerment with a
New Generation of Interactivity
• Application Experience Drives
Unprecedented User Adoption
• The Emergence of Tech Populism
• Conclusions
16
Actuate Corporation © 2011
AGENDA
Conclusions
These Trends Are Happening Now
Interactive, rich Information Applications appeal
to users and developers
• Enjoyable to use
• Easy to modify and keep fresh
Users Expect More and Are Able To Do More
Today’s developers will drive
higher levels of user satisfaction and
application success by embracing and
responding to these trends
17
Actuate Corporation © 2011
How to Be a Hero:
Anticipating a New
Generation of Users
18
Actuate Corporation © 2011