In making enterprise apps more user centered, what I’m talking about is implementing a long, scientifically based, user centered process taking in elements of UI design, business process analysis, business precess reengineering and cultural change, all backed by strong HCI principles and human and organisational psychology. Using this process is something I discovered working with my colleague Matthew Hodgson (http://magia3e.wordpress.com). Before that, I was pretty succcessful doing the same thing, but much of my work was intuitive rather than scientific.
Taking a science-backed approach to user centered design on any application, let alone enterprise applications should lead to a better outcome for business and the users - internal and external. Design work and user consultation takes place across the entire development lifecycle, surprises are reduced in user land, decisions about interfaces can be made early and changed early (and cheaply) if need be.
Enterprise apps don’t need to be “2.0”, but given a significant proportion of users are now used to using applications that interact with them in that style (if there is a 2.0 style), we should be making the effort to adopt the best of what they are experiencing and put it into enterprise applications.

http://dealarchitect.typepad.com/deal_architect/2007/12/ui-again-dont-p.html

if we can rethink UI and business process from the outside in - customer, supplier etc, I am all for it and ok with Ajaxing, web 2.0 it. But in turn I want UI for internal non-value added users turne off, destroyed…

unfortunately internal users have more clout than external users like you…they can put more internal pressure on the CIO. Software salespeople walk their halls etc. so their cries for prettier UI get heard when frankly they should not be in the business process at all, at least not for data entry

1. Software developers, that is to say coders, shouldn’t be doing the UI. The UI should be functionally specified by a user experience and IA person or team. The software developers should simply be implementing a UI designed by user interface/IA experts in consultation with end users. As someone who’s done many years as a developer, I can attest to the fact that software developers aren’t generally good interface designers. It was only once I began the move towards the work I do now that I realised just what a bad job I had been doing on interfaces.
Developers tend to design interfaces to manage data rather than interaction. While this is understandable given that developers want to manage getting data in and out of an application, it’s rarely an optimal solution for end users.

2. The client/system owner should absolutely be expected to implement a user centered UI if out of the box components aren’t suitable. And, by suitable, I mean all of functional, reliable and user-centered.
The “out of the box will do us” approach is something I’ve seen in dreadful implementations many, many times. As I’m certain, have you.

On top of this, the vendors - the SAPs, Siebels, Lotuses, Microsofts and the like of this world should be engaging with users from the beginning in redevelopments of their software platforms, in order to have users considered early and often. Additionally, they should be connecting with their developer and user communities and evangelising this approach as a way to save time, effort and money. Take a look at Matthew’s presentation linked above for a good approach to this.

The reason, for example, that Office 2007 is so different to any earlier version is that user consultations and interaction were at the heart of the redevelopment process. Sure, Office 2007 throws users to begin with given the unfamiliar interface, but frequent users become significantly more productive with ongoing use.