(SYS-CON Media) - SuccessFactors, provider of on-demand performance and talent management solutions, announced SuccessFactors NEXT Labs, a new initiative in user-centric innovation that is solely focused on creating highly interactive, engaging applications for the companies and individuals that are 'On SuccessFactors.' SuccessFactors NEXT Labs has developed more than 30 prototype offerings, several of which have already been integrated into the SuccessFactors Performance & Talent Management Suite and are available today.

With more than 2 million individual end-users and more than 1,000 customers, SuccessFactors is now pushing the innovation envelope to make interactions with the SuccessFactors web-based suite even easier, more engaging and fun for every person that uses it.

Historically, enterprise software applications have been developed for a specific type of user or business unit in mind. For example, CRM is used by sales and marketing groups while ERP applications are targeted mainly for use by accounting groups. Unlike these highly specialized applications, SuccessFactors is used by nearly every employee in an organization and therefore must be as easy to use and as engaging as popular consumer-facing applications. SuccessFactors NEXT Labs is taking the consumer standard for design and interactivity in online applications to the enterprise, leveraging the latest Web 2.0 technologies to make user-centric enterprise applications a reality.

"With the SuccessFactors NEXT Labs innovation effort Meredith had the opportunity to peek under the hood’ and see the future of human capital management," said Thom Powell, Organizational Excellence Leader at Meredith. "SuccessFactors’ maniacal focus on creating applications that not only deliver immediate results, but also provide our users with an experience that is easy, engaging and fun, is ushering in a new wave in the way people work with enterprise software." SuccessFactors NEXT Labs is leveraging the latest Web technologies including AJAX and Web services along with Web 2.0 concepts like social networking, mashups, and dynamic information tagging to create value for end-users. The focus is on creating visionary Human Capital Management applications that grow the relationship between a company and its employees.

Today, SuccessFactors announces the official launch of NEXT Labs and is already in the process of rolling out the first wave of their end-user endorsed innovation concepts including:

* SMART Goal Wizard: A just-in-time goal writing assistant that aids employees in creating goals that follow the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound). methodology
* Employee Directory: An internal social networking platform for employee collaboration across the enterprise.
* Quick Cards: An electronic business card feature that allows users to instantaneously connect to other employees and access their goals, profile, and other relevant data.

Future innovations target all areas of the SuccessFactors Suite including Goal Management, Career and Development Planning, Recruiting, and more. SuccessFactors NEXT Labs prototypes are slated for ongoing releases throughout 2007.

"Human Capital Management applications are of greatest value when used as part of an employee’s regular routine," said Rob Bernshteyn, vice president of product marketing. "The more engaging, intuitive, and fun an application, the more people will use it. SuccessFactors is pushing the envelope in innovation and user-centric computing to make the experience addictive and on par with the world’s most engaging consumer Internet sites. That’s what SuccessFactors NEXT Labs is all about."