[Blog Article] An application newly introduced in the company is only as good as the number of its users. It can be as well thought through, intuitive and perfectly embedded in the corporate design as it wants. When it is not actively used, it is literally use-less.
Precisely for this reason, more and more companies ask themselves: "how do we attract end users for our applications?" Often it is regularly monitored how many employees actively use which application. But the reasons for bad usage numbers remain in the dark.
In many places, this even creates a whole new profession: the User Experience Manager. He is responsible for raising the user experience of applications to an optimum. If you do not have a User Experience Manager, today we will show you the four most important things to keep your applications up and running:
1. Check regularly the processes on which the application is based
If a process changes while its associated application remains the same, it quickly becomes useless for users. Because, for example, the right buttons are missing or the right colleagues are not involved in the process.
2. Enable working with current data
There is nothing worse than being confronted with outdated data. Yesterday's data can lead to wrong decisions, and last week's data is out of date. Only live data meets the speed nowadays economy is working with – and decision makers have to decide in.
3. Avoid waiting times
The same applies to waiting and loading times. Today's users expect fast and smooth-running applications, as they are expected to work fast as well. And nothing bothers more than waiting for every interaction.
4. Promote the customizing of your applications
Who does not like to stand in front of a buffet with all kinds of delicacies and then put together his own menu? Although an a la carte menu also has its charm, ... but I guess you already get the point. A solution that users can customize offers not only more individual information but also increases its acceptance. And thus its use.
Keeping these four points in mind, users will love your applications. Of course, nowadays technology also offers other options with heat maps, eye trackers and much more. But then it often gets very time-consuming and costly. Another measure that is invaluable for any application is feedback. Nobody - not even a User Experience Manager - knows so well why a user does not use the solution any more than the user himself. So ask him.