User experience (UX) is your experience interacting with the system.
Enterprise software is inherently complex. These software products are broad enough to cover various industries. At the same time, they can be profound with the range of features and functionality.
Due to the complex nature of these implementations, the project team’s primary focus is to develop a functional product. As a result, UX is probably the last thing the Project teams think about. Ignoring UX is a big mistake!
Remember, customers do not invest in technology only to solve their problems; they silently expect a great customer experience too!
Hence, always ensure that UX is part of your project scope.
So, how we can improve UX?
The key is – Keep is simple:
- Remove clutter – Hide fields that end users will not be using
- Check flow – The end-users should be able to add the data using the keyboard controls (tab key to move to the next field)
- Shortcuts – The system should offer shortcuts (keyboard and quick access icons) for ease of use
- Security profiles – A unique security profile for each role
- Push or Pull – Ability to push and pull information on demand
- Choose the right tools tips – For example, use buttons instead of the drop-down box, where possible
- Colour – Ability to customise colour/theme based on personal preference
- Right information tool – Use the right tools to present information (Pi chart, trends, tables)
- Flow – Easy to use and intuitive navigation
UX is like artwork. It can take time to get it right.
Therefore, it is best to be iterative and don’t try to be perfect the first time.
There is always a risk of over refining the solution and increasing potential costs. So, timebox your effort and iteratively improve the UX.
UX is not extra stuff. Instead, it should be the heart of everything we do.
The systems should run like a charm. If the end-users love them, we save the cost of change management. So here you go, this is the business case for investing in UX!
