Why SAP Fiori UX Designers Are Critical to SAP RISE and Digital Transformation Success
When organisations embark on an SAP RISE journey or broader digital transformation, much of the focus goes to technology, cloud migration, and process automation. But one critical factor often gets overlooked, the User Experience (UX).
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Surprisingly, in my research on SAP Partners across ANZ , I found more than 80% of SAP partners don’t have a dedicated SAP Fiori UX expert on their team. Many customers end up working with generic UX designers who, while skilled at creating intuitive applications, lack the deep knowledge of the SAP ecosystem, SAP Fiori Guidelines and best practices. This gap is more than just a missed opportunity—it’s a red flag.
The Difference an SAP Fiori UX Designer Makes
Unlike a UX design generalist, an SAP Fiori UX Designer brings domain-specific expertise that makes or breaks an SAP project. They understand not only design but also the platform, solutions, integration layers, and services that power SAP systems.​
​They know how to:
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Run and facilitate SAP specific discovery workshops to Identify key user roles, their key tasks and what they are trying to achieve using SAP solutions.
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Build future-state SAP solution/ workflows and leverage rapid prototyping with SAP Fiori Figma stencils to validating solutions with stakeholders before a single line of code is written.
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Apply SAP Fiori design guidelines and principles to ensure applications look, feel, and behave consistently across devices.
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Use Fiori elements, floor plans, and page layouts effectively so that designs align seamlessly with SAP’s own standards.
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Choose the right SAPUI5 controls and apply usage best practices, making development faster, cleaner, and less prone to rework.
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Recommend prebuilt SAP Fiori apps from SAP Fiori Apps Refrence Library that already exist in the SAP ecosystem (for Finance, HR, Procurement, Sales, Asset Management, etc.), so customers don’t waste time reinventing the wheel.
Why This Matters for SAP RISE
SAP RISE is not just about moving to S/4 Hana and upgrading your technology stack, it’s also about transforming the way people work. If the user experience is overwhelming or misaligned with SAP’s design system, adoption suffers, processes slow down, and ROI is delayed.
With an SAP Fiori UX Designer on board, you gain:
Faster implementation: Developers can directly pick up the correct UI5 controls and templates, reducing trial-and-error.
Reduced rework: Stakeholders align early through tested prototypes that mirror final SAP solutions.
Higher adoption: End-users get experiences that feel intuitive, consistent, and designed for how they work and not forced around technical limitations.
The Bottom Line
Digital transformation is not just about systems; it’s about people using those systems effectively. An SAP Fiori UX Designer ensures your SAP RISE initiative delivers real business value, not just a technical upgrade.
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If your SAP delivery team or Partner team doesn’t include a dedicated SAP UX expert, you’re taking a significant risk. Investing in this expertise from the start can mean the difference between a system that is merely deployed and a system that is truly adopted.
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At ProductByDesign, we provide dedicated SAP Fiori UX Designers and SAP UI5 Developers to help SAP customers and partners accelerate their SAP RISE and BTP projects.
If you’re an SAP customer or partner looking to strengthen your UX capability, let’s connect.