Designing Within Constraints in Enterprise UX
May 28, 2025
Supply chains are complex: a small change can trigger a domino effect. AIMMS developed Supply Chain Navigator (SCN), an application that helps companies analyze, compare, and improve their supply chains. SCN is built on Optimization Tooling, a platform that also lets customers build their own applications. Our mission: make SCN easier to use and better aligned with real work processes. The challenge? Design within the technical limits of Optimization Tooling without losing sight of the user. This article explains how we approached it.
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Enterprise UX: balancing power and simplicity
Enterprise UX is complex, even at SCN. Deep domain knowledge is crucial for designing solutions that truly meet user needs. This is typically the work of UX designers.
Workflows and processes are often complicated and challenging to simplify without losing functionality. The balance between power and user-friendliness is essential: the software must meet all requirements while remaining clear and intuitive.
SCN operates on the Optimization Tooling platform, which has its limitations. Some building blocks were missing, while others had to be creatively repurposed for functionalities they weren't originally intended for.
Like many new projects, supply chain optimization was unfamiliar territory for us, and we had to immerse ourselves in it. We also studied the platform thoroughly to discover technical boundaries. By fully engaging with the domain and its users, we were able to design from their perspective. It's the only way to create a user experience that is both functional and appealing.
User insights make the difference
User research is vital to understand what challenges users face. For example, a supply chain planner told us he sketches his supply chain on a whiteboard before working with SCN. What seemed obvious provided us with a valuable insight: users make a mental translation early in the process, something SCN hadn't yet addressed.
We also frequently heard that providing data via Excel was cumbersome. Errors from various sources lead to an endless cycle of uploading, checking, and correcting. This inefficient process called for improvement.
Our simple, effective idea: have SCN start with a visual sketch. Users draw their supply chain digitally and receive immediate feedback on missing data. The back-and-forth with Excel is a thing of the past, and the process becomes faster, more transparent, and more user-friendly. A true game changer.
This solution fundamentally changed how users work with SCN. The design was so valuable that Optimization Tooling adopted it structurally in the platform. A powerful example of how listening to users can not only enhance the experience but also push technical boundaries.
The question behind the question
Users often ask for what they know, such as tables: familiar and standard in supply chain planning. But in reality, they seek control, overview, and clarity.
Research showed us that it wasn't about a new table, but a new way of thinking. The whiteboard functionality aligns perfectly with the workflow of users, who often first sketch their chain visually for clarity and structure.
The result is not a compromise between old and new, but a combination of the best of both. Tables and visualizations complement each other. This begins by letting go of the question and understanding the underlying need.
Users know what they want, but rarely what is possible. Good research makes this visible and provides direction, even within limits.
