Enterprises already realize that the design of a rich business application deployed over the Internet (RIBA), must avoid the unsuitable user experience achieved by common browser-based designs.
Business application designers understand that their end-users are still accustomed to the fully managed, flowing, and familiar user experience that is provided by desktop applications.
Keeping a desktop-like user experience does not only reduces end-user frustration and increases the adaptation of a new application, but it also maintains and even increases the end-users' productivity and overall satisfaction.
UI Vs. UX
It is important to distinguish between rich User Interface (UI) and rich User Experience (UX), especially when it comes to business applications that are more of a B2B nature.
Rich UI caters more to the way the application looks like, while rich UX relates more to the way the application is used. Rich UI may offer a highly esthetic design utilizing the latest graphical design patterns and capabilities, including elaborated animations, newly shaped controls, embedded media, and so on.
However highly graphically designed UI may not yield the optimal UX and many cases it would only hinder the expected UX.
Focus on Rich UX
Rich UX caters first and foremost to the usability factors that will enable the end-user to complete each task in the most efficient and productive manner.
Rich UX is designed to be highly intuitive, by following common models of UI manipulation.
Rich UX top criteria suggest a highly workable application, with minimal effort in understanding the interface and its underlying functionality, optimal performance and end-user productivity, and eventually such that creates great end-user satisfaction.
This does not mean that the UX should be over esthetic or should necessarily employ complex rich UI elements. It means that when it comes to RIBA rich UI is just means to an end, but not the end itself.
