Ottawa, ON —June 24, 2010 — Halogen Software today announced a major update to its award winning Talent Management Suite with the release of Version 10. This new release provides a significant transformation to Halogen’s suite, including a new user interface (UI) that delivers best in class product usability and learnability. Much more than a simple makeover, the new UI builds on Halogen’s established reputation for extremely usable solutions. Version 10 of the suite also includes hundreds of new feature enhancements as well as the release of Job Description Builder™, a new module for job description creation and management.
“HCM software faces a unique challenge in that it is used by every employee in the organization,” said James Holincheck, Managing Vice President, Gartner. “Usability and point of need training can make a critical difference in the successful implementation of talent management and other HCM software.”
To ensure a successful rollout and adoption, software of this scale must be easy to learn for everyone enterprise-wide. This reality formed the critical focus of Halogen’s design process for the enhanced user experience. Rounds of rigorous usability testing, involving both customers and non-users of the software were undertaken — from the earliest prototypes through many iterations of the software — to shape the final product. As a result of this extensive effort, Halogen has taken the user experience to a whole new level, while maintaining a simple and powerful interface that incorporates contextual personalization.
The usability goal for Halogen’s Talent Management Suite Version 10 was to enhance the user experience and achieve a significantly better than industry average rating for ease of use: greater than the 80th percentile. With this goal met, the suite now provides:
• Learnability: The new UI is designed to ensure discoverability and self-learning, with strategic use of color, strictly meaningful icons, and consistent use of conventions. It leverages proven intuitive approaches from consumer social networks to help drive adoption.
• Personalization: Users can now easily customize their workspace, selecting the type and amount of information that is most relevant to them.
• Efficiency: The new UI further reduces managers’ workloads by streamlining key tasks, and delivering the right information at the right time.
“We have a wide variety of users within our organization, which made ease of use a priority for us when originally selecting our talent management solution,” said Toni Brown, HR Business Analyst, Texas Parks and Wildlife. “We were confident when we picked Halogen’s suite that it was the most user friendly and flexible offering on the market, and this has made the return rate on annual evaluations soar. Having been involved in the testing of this version, we are excited to see how Version 10 makes that user experience even better.”
Halogen Talent Management Suite Version 10 also introduces a new capability to create and manage job descriptions. Halogen’s new Job Description Builder leverages the same robust workflow engine that underlies Halogen eAppraisal™, allowing HR to control the process of creating and maintaining job descriptions, while enabling line managers to contribute content, and ensuring employee signoffs take place. Halogen’s is the first and only solution on the market to seamlessly link job responsibilities to performance management, so that any updates to a job description automatically flow through to the associated performance appraisal.
“Halogen has a reputation for customer satisfaction and ease of use, so transforming our user experience was not something that we took lightly,” said Paul Loucks, President and CEO, Halogen Software. “Going through this process, it was critical that we delivered major usability improvements and value to our customers, not just a face lift or incorporating the latest software fad. After extensive testing with customers and independent third parties, and extremely positive industry analyst feedback, we are confident that Halogen Talent Management Suite Version 10 is the industry’s most usable and learnable talent management solution.”
Visit Halogen at SHRM
Halogen will be demonstrating Version 10 of its Talent Management Suite at the Annual SHRM Conference and Exhibition in Booth #1439.
Availability
Halogen Talent Management Suite Version 10 will be generally available in August 2010.
About Halogen Software
Halogen Software is recognized as a market leader by industry analysts and is strongly endorsed by the thousands of HR professionals who use their Talent Management solutions. The company offers a complete suite of web-based products that automate, simplify and integrate performance appraisals, 360 degree feedback, compensation management, succession planning and learning management. Halogen’s offering makes HR best-practices accessible to companies of all sizes and its healthcare, education, manufacturing, public sector, financial services and professional services specific suites meet the unique needs of these! industries. Halogen is consistently recognized by
the industry and its customers for its exceptional implementation and support services, and has won multiple awards for its corporate leadership and product innovation, including HR Technology Product of the Year. For more information, visit www.halogensoftware.com.
Media contacts:
Maggie Patterson
PR Consultant, Halogen Software
T: 613-989-1866
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