2 Reasons Why Enterprise User Experience Can Be Difficult
Employees are an important part of every company. To get an enterprise-wide positive user experience across all departments, personality types, and work styles, may be difficult. Enterprise user experience involves software that’s designed for employees to use, not consumers.
The problem arises when the employees need to use the software. They need it to work but it often comes across as complex, old-fashioned, and loaded with navigation issues. This adds to their frustrations. Employees also fear change, which is why they hold on to legacy systems although these can make their lives and work more difficult.
Coming up with better enterprise UX involves a lot of work and time, and that is why it is one of the most difficult things to develop well.
Why Is A Positive Enterprise User Experience So Difficult?
Employees Resist Change
It would be good if designers could design a system from scratch, but that isn’t always the case. That would involve too much of the company’s finances and time.
Enterprise UX is as challenging with big organizations that have hundreds of employees as it is for smaller companies with 20-50 employees, according to research.
Large and small companies, alike, often do have legacy systems that designers must work with to upgrade and redesign. Employees get accustomed to the software they have been working with it for a long time. Sometimes a simple redesign may work, other times it’s not that simple.
Redesigning any daily-use software will almost always be met with resistance due to fear of change. It is important in that case to find out what the employees like and dislike about the current system. The designers can use this information to leave in the most-liked features and take out the complexities from the existing system to streamline employee processes.
This will allow designers of enterprise UX to improve the employees’ experience with software and to garner their support. It is important for designers to attend UX events to make sure they’re up-to-date with what makes for a better user experience. They can improve their understanding about UX from several angles.
Difficulty Getting Decision Makers And End-Users To Agree
Ultimately it is the executives that will choose and approve software systems and designs. They are looking for cost and time efficiencies. Since they won’t be using the software themselves, it makes little difference how well it works for the employees.
It is the job of the designers to sift through management and get to those employees who will be directly involved with using the software. This becomes imperative for the success of the software.
Getting the approvals of the UX team’s management, from project managers and customer management is important. But it is also necessary to take out the time to carry out focus groups to get timely feedback about the finalized software from the employees who will be using it.
It can be a challenge, but it’s necessary to get managers on board with the decision to free up time for the employees to participate in software development. They won’t be able to divert enough time and attention to the software if they have their own deadlines to meet.
It is important that designers get to understand the employees’ current experience with software to make clear and achievable objectives for the upgraded software. At the same time, it’s important to make the findings and results known to executives and managers to get them on board.