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 essential to design solutions that truly meet users' needs. That's typically the work of UX designers.
Workflows and processes are often complicated and challenging to simplify without losing functionality. Achieving the balance between power and user-friendliness is crucial: the software must meet all requirements but also remain clear and intuitive.
SCN runs on the Optimization Tooling platform, which has its limitations. Some building blocks were missing, while others had to be creatively repurposed for functions they were not intended for.
Like many new projects, supply chain optimization was uncharted territory for us, and we had to immerse ourselves deeply. We also thoroughly studied the platform to uncover technical limitations. By fully understanding the domain and its users, we could truly design from their perspective. Only this way can you create an experience that is both functional and engaging.
User insights make the difference
User research is essential to understand the challenges users face. A supply chain planner, for instance, told us that he first sketches his supply chain on a whiteboard before working with SCN. What seemed obvious provided us with valuable insight: users make a mental translation early in the process, which SCN was not yet addressing.
We also frequently heard that supplying data via Excel is cumbersome. Errors from various sources lead to an endless cycle of uploading, checking, and correcting. This inefficient process needed improvement.
Our simple, effective idea: have SCN start with a visual sketch. Users can digitally draw their supply chain and receive immediate feedback on missing data. This eliminates the back-and-forth with Excel, making the process faster, clearer, and more user-friendly. A real game-changer.
This solution fundamentally changed how users work with SCN. The design was so valuable that Optimization Tooling incorporated it structurally into the platform. A powerful example of how truly listening to users not only improves the experience but also pushes technical boundaries.
The question behind the question
Users often ask for what they know, like spreadsheets: familiar and standard in supply chain planning. But in reality, they seek control, clarity, and transparency.
Through research, we discovered that it wasn't about a new spreadsheet, but about a new way of thinking. The whiteboard functionality fits perfectly with the users' work process, where they 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 enhance each other. This begins with letting go of the question and understanding the underlying need.
Users know what they want, but rarely what's possible. Good research makes that visible and provides direction, even within boundaries.