PeopleSoft Still a Player, Delivering New Tricks with Fluid UI

PeopleSoft HCM is still kicking! At the Oracle Open World Conference in October, Oracle committed to investing in PeopleSoft at least until 2027… as long as customers continue to support the demand for the investment. Oracle has demonstrated this commitment in the release of PeopleTools 8.56 and HCM Image 24. One key feature that is gaining momentum is PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface (UI), which was introduced in PeopleTools 8.54 and significantly enhanced over the last two releases.

The PeopleSoft Fluid UI is sometimes referred to as “mobile”—with the evolution of today’s work environment, mobile is the norm. Employees and managers expect to be able to perform self-service functions on smartphones, tablets, and computers with touch screens without needing a special training course. This is the drive behind PeopleSoft Fluid UI, a dynamic design model in which pages and components intuitively recognize the size and attributes of the screen being used. The content and interface objects—such as buttons, collapsible areas, and text labels—are delivered to best utilize the real estate and enhance the user experience for the device. In layman’s terms, instead of a device struggling to fit the page, the page fits the device.

PeopleSoft core features such as the Candidate Gateway and the newly released new hire Onboarding Activity Guide are now sporting the flashy Fluid UI. The interface has been so well received by customers and users that even online pages, which were not intended or expected to be executed on a mobile device, are being refreshed with the look and feel of Fluid (renamed as Classic Plus). Oracle recommends that clients move from the Classic view to Classic Plus as soon as possible to continue to utilize the enhancements delivered with each PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM) update.
However, the transition to Classic Plus may involve some growing pains for PeopleSoft clients. Not all pages have been converted to Classic Plus, leaving clients to evaluate which Classic Plus delivered pages will be adopted, as well as reapplying customizations. In addition, clients that have customized the stylesheets will need to revisit those style sheet changes to incorporate Classic Plus.
All in all, with the flash and zing being demonstrated in cloud products, PeopleSoft is still a player and well received by its users. The ability for users to access paychecks, update emergency contacts, and complete onboarding tasks on a phone or tablet reflects well on an organization. Employees can be impressed that an established organization understands the need to be current with the times, while still maintaining the control and ability to tailor data to meet unique organizational needs.
PeopleSoft Fluid UI is worth the investment and Sierra-Cedar has continued success in implementing it. Reach out today for a demonstration.