Gartner and the User Interface: Greater cost savings and productivity are right there in front of you

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When it comes to their applications, companies of all sizes struggle with the same issues: How do we develop them more efficiently, and how do we get end users to use them more effectively? The answer is right on the surface - the presentation layer, or user interface. Mark Driver is a research vice president at Gartner, Inc., the highly respected and independent research and advisory firm:

"(The presentation layer) is integral to each and every aspect of the development process. And because of that, we typically see anywhere from 25 to nearly 40 percent of the overall time and effort is somehow related to the presentation layer throughout the development process."

How do you maximize the development effort for the presentation layer and make your applications more beneficial to your end users? Infragistics calls it "Powering the Presentation Layer," but we believe it really powers business value.

Gartner's Driver says it all starts with a clear vision and direction

"As you're developing an application architecture,given the importance and the critical nature of the user experience and maintaining the interest of your users, of maintaining productivity levels and so on, the user interface should be a Tier 1 strategy."

In the video, "The Increasing Importance Of The Presentation Layer To The Enterprise," experts from Gartner, Infragistics and Microsoft provide you with answers on achieving that Tier 1 strategy, better ROI, standardization and more.

Gartner Research Vice President Mark Driver delves into the importance and impact of the presentation layer, the best practices that development teams can use to address this area and the ultimate benefits to the enterprise.

Dean Guida, CEO and president of Infragistics, addresses the buy vs.build issue, the benefits of standardizing on a single presentation layer toolset, and how Infragistics can help you achieve these benefits.

Rick LaPlante, director and general manager of Enterprise Tools at Microsoft, elaborates on the importance of a presentation layer development strategy and how the release of Microsoft's Visual Studio Team System can assist in the formation and realization of this strategy. LaPlante says the benefits of a presentation layer development strategy extend well beyond the application.

"The more that you standardize around the presentation layer, the more productive your engineering teams are going to be and the higher the likelihood that the applications they build are going to deliver the business value that you're looking for."

Many companies have discovered there is value in turning to an experienced partner to help in powering the presentation layer. Infragistics has an extensive history in helping companies maximize their investments in Microsoft solutions. Infragistics knows well the benefits of a properly deployed standardized presentation layer solution, ranging from:

• Consistent user interfaces across all enterprise applications. Infragistics CEO and President Dean Guida says, "You can benefit by reducing your R&D cost, your maintenance cost and deliver a more consistent user interface by standardizing on a presentation layer toolset."
• A better return on investment. Companies wrestle with whether to buy a presentation layer solution or build their own. Guida says it becomes an easy decision when you factor in the expertise and backing of an experienced, knowledgeable partner.
• The extension of your development team. It's not just about tools. Infragistics also provides your team with extensive support and training/education resources.

So ask yourself:

• Are you getting the most business value and ROI from your presentation layer development efforts?
• Do you have a clear strategy for presentation layer development?
• Do you know where to turn for help in setting and executing your strategy?

Watch and find out how the key to better ROI and productivity is right in front of you.