User experience (UX) refers to a person’s overall feelings, emotions, and attitudes when using a product, system, or service.
The entire process for UX involves the acquisition and implementation of the product or service, branding, design, usability, and functionality. UX follows end usersthrough every step of a journey with a product or service – what their expectations are, how they’ll use the product or service, and how they feel when using it.
For software in particular, the user experience is driven by the user interface, or how a person interacts with the software platform or mobile app – the on-screen location of functions, number of clicks to perform actions, drag-and-drop functionality, work processes, etc. In the Verdantix Green Quadrant EHS Software 2019 report, user interface was recognized as one of the top factors influencing EHS software decisions. Enablon scored the highest among its peers for user interface, demonstrating its commitment to a clean and intuitive user experience.
Four years ago, we published a blog post on user experience, and the content is just as relevant today as it was then.Apart fromincreased employee productivity and organizational efficiency, there are five reasons why an intuitive UX is critical:
1) Cost-effective implementation. Implementation is easier with better UX because software administrators can get acquainted with the system faster, which reduces implementation time and cost. Administrators spend more time using the software instead of learning how to use it.
2) Accelerated adoption across the enterprise. A more intuitive UX encourages more users throughout the company to actually use the new solution, rather than relying on another system. Having wider adoption throughout the organization increases the return on investment (ROI) for the initial software purchase.
3) Lower training costs over time. Better UX means there are more options for training new people on how to use the software. Instead of requiring the vendor to provide training, an existing user can train new users in the system, provided that the user experience is intuitive. This can reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) for implementing the software solution and increase the productivity of employees.
4) Cost-effective upgrades. Software updates are a given, especially with changing regulations, new best practices,and improvements offered by vendors. When UX is intuitive, users can make a smoother and easier transition to upgraded versions that may involve new screens and workflows, which leads to reduced costs and gains in worker productivity.
5) Improved scalability. As companies expand or merge with others, they will need to extend software training and use to many other users. With an intuitive UX, software systems can be rolled out quickly to an expanded user group, reducing operational inefficiencies and optimizing training costs.
A recent post from YEC in Forbes spoke about why user experience is vital for enhancing business.Improving UX should be approachednot just as a tacticfor making sales, but for keeping customers. User experience comes down to three essentials:1) delivering a product or service that’s a solution to a challenge; 2) streamlining the solution to be convenient and uncomplicated; and 3) enlisting customers to become ambassadors of the brand. With this mindset,creating an intuitive user experience is a complete business strategy – from pitching the product to keeping the customer.
This is why vendors that provide an intuitive UX are also those that care the most about the users of their products. Therefore, when you select a product with an intuitive UX, you are also choosing to partner with a vendor who will take very good care of your organization’s business needs.
