Tech Functionality and Features are Worthless if No One Can Use Them

We’ve all been disappointed at some point by a product that promises exciting features and benefits only to find out it’s formidably difficult to use. Perhaps a home appliance with that cryptic set of instructions in 50 languages that no one understands. Home security systems are notoriously impossible to use.

I’ve recently turned back to photography after reaching the frustrating limits of what Photoshop can do to fix the pictures I’ve taken with my iPhone.  I actually purchased a rather nice camera a few years ago only to have it borrowed by my teenage daughter for her photo class. I only just caught a glimpse of it a few months ago after she gleefully mentioned that the super glue on the lens doesn’t appear to effect the image quality.

The truth is I never liked that camera anyway so losing it to my daughter was a blessing.  Too many small buttons placed in inconvenient locations along with a menu structure that included colors, tabs, and multiple ways to select options.  Although it was feature rich it was a design and usability nightmare. That camera challenged me to remember the steps needed for the right settings, as if the mechanics of taking the picture were more important that the picture itself.

It seems the more complex the underlying technology, the harder the product is to use. And yet, that’s exactly where we are headed. Computers, smart devices, cars and cameras are constantly adding great new capabilities that aim to improve the experience. And while it’s easy to focus on the functionality, the best new feature is worthless if few people can actually use it.

Enterprise software comes to mind when you talk complexity. And perhaps no technology is evolving faster than business applications. Development cycles for CRM, business analytics, ERP and even supply chain have been accelerating for years, approaching a blistering pace. The marathon is becoming a long sprint. That’s great news for businesses that get more value from their enterprise software investments. But along with that strategic new functionality often comes complexity. This puts a premium on usability.

I’ve been asked by more than a few vendors why our Value Matrix puts equal weighting on usability and functionality. Software firms are often driven by engineering with a strong emphasis on building functionality. They are inspired by new possibilities and building technology that enables it. That’s the exciting part. But if you want broad adoption, usability becomes key. The industry has to stop looking at usability as a ‘soft science’ and make it more central to their development.

I recently wrote about the Mega-App trend – where enterprise apps are increasingly integrating with other apps. CRM with ERP, back office, supply chain and analytics, for example. Slowly moving toward one mega-app where everything works seamlessly together. This is driving the need for more usability. Suddenly the finance team has access to supply chain data. This could be useful in forecasting yet that information is meaningless if they are unable to use the app. And with the integration of strategic enterprise software apps, the need for more people across multiple divisions to access data is only growing. Usability is suddenly a top priority – front and center.

To be fair, many of the leading enterprise software vendors are heavily focused on making their apps more accessible and easier to use. In fact, they are the vendors moving up on our Value Matrices and we see them gaining market share too. Usability has become a major differentiator. And this is a very good thing.

It’s not just enterprise software. My hunt for a new camera had me investigating many brands.  Although the functionality between the options was similar the usability ranged from very poor, to acceptably bad, to one that stood out as spectacular.  That particular camera is sitting on my desk now and in the past month has amazed me with not only great images but an intuitive design.  That said, my daughter has already made the case to borrow it.  Apparently her camera has super glue on the lens.