Unified Interface: A Comprehensive Guide to Streamlining Your Microsoft Experience

The Microsoft ecosystem contains dozens of apps. From the famous word processing software to the all-in-one business management solution Dynamics 365, you can find a Microsoft app for just about any business task you could imagine. 

Microsoft’s model-driven app approach helps provide a consistent experience across user interfaces. Nonetheless, there are subtle—and some not-so-subtle—nuances in each app. 

The Dynamics 365 Unified Interface improves upon the classic interface, providing a better user experience and ultra-efficient navigation pane. Here’s everything you need to know about Unified Interface. 

What Is Unified Interface?

Unified Interface is Microsoft’s effort to unify and standardize the user experience on the legacy web client and mobile devices across its suite of applications. The idea is to provide a consistent look and feel regardless of device, screen size, or role, and it’s achieved by: 

• Simplifying user interaction 
• Reducing learning curves 
• Cutting down on communication issues between user and security roles
• Accelerating the delivery of customer service 

Unified Interface is suitable for any organization that uses Microsoft Dynamics 365, including retail, field service, distribution, and manufacturing. If you want to provide your users with a seamless, consolidated experience, Unified Interface may be a great addition to your tech stack. 

Unified Interface and Microsoft Dynamics 365

Unified Interface is an addition to Microsoft Dynamics 365, not a replacement solution. Once you transition to the Unified Interface, you’ll be able to remove the legacy application and only display the model-driven apps, which include:

• Sales Hub
• Customer Service Hub
• Field Service Hub
• Team Member Applications

Unified Interface cuts through the noise and only displays the modules you and your team are currently using. With this tool, you can keep everyone on the same page and promote a leaner, cleaner, and more efficient work environment. 

Key Features of Unified Interface 

As a business leader, you want to provide your users with a system that’s intuitive and easy to navigate. That’s exactly what Unified Interface offers. It eliminates the need to learn different interfaces for various Microsoft applications. By leveraging Unified Interface, your team members can effortlessly transition from their desktops to their phones or tablets without a major interface change. 

In addition, the software is feature-rich. You can access numerous additional features, including the following, when you implement it.

Responsive Design

The Unified Interface is designed to be responsive. This means that it automatically adjusts to the size and orientation of your screen, ensuring optimal usability and readability and reducing frustration among your team.

Frictionless Environments

When working in the development environment, you’ll also have access to a solution checker tool. Use this feature to validate your custom app solution before moving it to the production environment. 

An Intuitive Interface

The interface is designed to maximize accessibility, making it easier for everyone, including people with disabilities, to use the applications. The interface is also simplistic, so less tech-savvy employees will enjoy a shallower learning curve. 

Unified Records 

Whether you’re using Dynamics 365 for sales, customer service, or any other application, the interface remains consistent. This reduces the time you spend adapting to different UIs. Unified Interface also enhances the integrations present within Dynamics 365, thereby enabling you to keep complete and accurate records. 

Enhanced Dashboards and Forms 

Once you switch to Unified Interface, you’ll enjoy interactive and user-friendly dashboards. These dashboards provide a better way to visualize your data, putting actionable insights at your fingertips. 

Improved Application Navigation

Unified Interface also improves application navigation, making it easier for team members to transition back and forth between apps. Again, the aim is for you to maximize team productivity, remove points of friction, and help every member of the business be better at their roles. 

How to Make the Most of Unified Interface

Switching to Unified Interface is a big job. It’s not as major a task as setting up Dynamics 365, but it still takes a lot of time and hard work. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you get the most out of the money and effort you put in and start seeing returns as soon as possible. 

With that in mind, let’s explore a few steps you need to take to get the most out of Unified Interface. 

Familiarize Yourself With the Layout

Spend time understanding the layout and navigation. The more comfortable you are with the interface, the more efficiently you can work. 

Customize Your Experience

Dynamics 365 and Unified Interface are known for their exceptional customizability. Take advantage of these attributes and tailor your dashboards to fit your specific needs. While setting up custom dashboards will take a bit of time, it will allow you to yield long-term productivity and efficiency benefits. 

Leverage New Functionalities

Keep an eye out for new features and functionalities, which are regularly added to the Unified Interface. These can offer new ways to enhance your workflows and help you get the best return on investment (ROI) possible. 

Use It Across Devices

Experiment with using the Unified Interface on different devices. This will help you appreciate its responsive design and how it simplifies your work process. Trying it on multiple devices will also reveal the subtle nuances between each platform. 

Potential Transition Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Unified Interface is designed to make your life a whole lot easier when interacting with Dynamics 365. But that doesn’t mean implementing it will be a breeze. 

As with any implementation, you might encounter some challenges as you roll out your new software. Fortunately, overcoming these difficulties is a straightforward process— as long as you know what you are up against. Let’s take a closer look at a few hurdles you might run into when transitioning to UI.

Learning Curve

Any new system comes with a learning curve. Take advantage of Microsoft’s training resources to get your team up to speed fast. However, don’t feel limited to official resources. Combine their training materials with in-house resources to create a program that is tailored to the unique needs of your team. 

Customization Limits

You might find some limitations in customization. To combat this, explore third-party add-ons from reputable vendors, like Cavallo, that provide extra layers of customizability. If you need bespoke workflows and intelligent analytics tools, Cavallo can help. 

Performance Issues

There are numerous processes going on in the background of Unified Interface. At times, this can lead to performance issues and user frustration. Verify that you have the appropriate internet bandwidth to handle the added load of UI and make tweaks to optimize performance. If you can’t get to the bottom of the issues, bring in outside help. 

Adopting a Modern Navigation Solution to Optimize the User Experience 

The Unified Interface by Microsoft can create a more enjoyable and seamless user experience when interacting with Dynamics 365. The addition makes your work day simpler and less frustrating. But UI is only the beginning of your Dynamics optimization journey. 

For robust solutions designed to help you get more out of Dynamics 365 Business Central, you need Cavallo’s Order Intelligence platform. With our tools, you can optimize every aspect of order management, access real-time insights, and drive your business forward immediately. 

Want to learn more about how you can maximize your ROI and profitability? Start a conversation with one of our experts to see our solutions in action.