As part of the 2024.2 release, NetSuite unveiled the Redwood Design System at SuiteWorld 2024. Originally launched in 2019, the Redwood Design System aims to modernize the NetSuite user experience across its suite of products. Over the past few years, NetSuite has been testing and teasing its features in bits and pieces across a few product suites.
Products including NetSuite EPM and NetSuite Analytics Warehouses are already using the RedWood System, and NetSuite plans to roll out the design system to SuiteProjects Pro, Customer 360, and eventually to the broader NetSuite application starting with UI-heavy areas like dashboards, lists, and forms.
With a strong focus on artificial intelligence, the Redwood Design System also paves the way for NetSuite’s development for an AI-forward, user-centric design that helps customers accomplish tasks more efficiently, while making it easier for users to navigate and interact with the system.
Redwood Experience theme is enabled under Home > Set Preferences. On the Appearance tab, click Enable:
Redwood UI Design Changes
The Redwood Experience theme offers new colors, fonts, and icons for dashboards and forms:
List view will also look different under the Redwood UI:
Transaction record will share similar design language with other entity records:
Sections on the form can now be collapsed to save screen real estate:
Benefits
The Redwood UI provides many benefits for all types of NetSuite users:
- Modernized User Interface Design
- The Redwood UI aims for a visually cohesive and polished design across the entire platform. It includes more modern, minimalist elements, smoother color schemes, and better typography, helping users focus on tasks without distraction.
- Unified User Experience Across NetSuite Products
- The Redwood UI delivers a more consistent experience across different modules and functionalities of NetSuite, whether you’re using financial management, CRM, eCommerce, or supply chain management. This reduces the learning curve and helps users transition seamlessly between different parts of the system.
Best Practices
1. Leverage Role-Based Customization
- Tailor the UI for Specific Roles: Customize the Redwood UI based on the unique needs of different teams or departments. NetSuite allows you to create role-specific dashboards and layouts, so users only see relevant data and tools for their work. For example:
- Finance teams may need quick access to financial reports and KPIs.
- Sales teams might prioritize CRM functions and customer insights.
- Minimize Clutter: With Redwood’s clean interface, you can reduce unnecessary menus or widgets for certain roles, providing a more focused, task-oriented workspace.
2. Optimize Dashboards and Reporting
- Customize Dashboards to Improve Visibility: Use Redwood’s dashboard customization options to display real-time metrics, charts, and key performance indicators (KPIs) that are critical to your role. Prioritize data that provides immediate insights into business performance or helps with decision-making.
- Ensure that dashboards contain only the most relevant information and eliminate redundant data.
- Utilize Interactive Reports: Redwood UI allows more dynamic, drill-down capabilities in reports. Take advantage of this by creating more interactive reports that let users explore the data in greater detail, helping them uncover insights.
- Regularly review and update report configurations to stay aligned with changing business goals and metrics
3. Train Users on the New Interface
- Conduct Training Sessions: Because the Redwood UI introduces a significant shift in design and functionality, it’s important to offer comprehensive training to your users. Cover the new layout, how to use the enhanced navigation, and how to customize dashboards and reports.
What’s Next
To ensure a smooth transition, users should be provided with training on the Redwood UI. In addition, it is important to test and validate different business processes to ensure the new Redwood UI works as intended and is not disrupting current configurations and workflows.
The release of NetSuite’s Redwood UI marks a shift toward a more user-friendly, efficient, and modern interface, aiming to improve how organizations interact with their ERP system. It enhances the overall user experience, makes it easier to analyze and act on data, and provides a cleaner, more navigable environment for all types of users. Whether you’re in finance, sales, or supply chain management, the Redwood UI enhances how teams access and manage information. It is advisable to follow our best practices above to ensure end users can have a seamless transition from NetSuite’s older design model to the newer interface.