Why is UX So Bad, Just About Everywhere?

User Experience (UX) refers to the comprehensive feeling and perception a user has when interacting with a product, service, or system. It encompasses not only the functional and pragmatic aspects of this interaction, such as usability, accessibility, and performance, but also the emotional and intangible elements that evoke feelings of delight, joy, and a deep sense of satisfaction often hard to articulate, sometimes referred to as QUAN (Quality Without A Name Cf. Christopher Alexander). UX is a blend of design, functionality, and the emotional connection users forge with a product. It aims to provide intuitive, satisfying, and pleasurable experiences that enchant users, fostering loyalty and deep engagement.

In app design, especially the design of business apps, it’s mystifying to see how often UX falls short. Let’s explore the reasons behind this.

The Current Landscape

1. Cost of Focus: Business apps typically overlook or ignore one or more key constituencies of the Folks Tha Matter.
2. Legacy Systems: Many apps stem from older systems, which can be resistant to modern, user-friendly upgrades.
3. Overlooking the Emotional Component: Apps and business apps miss the mark in creating emotional connections.
4. Rapid Development without Adequate Feedback: Hurrying to launch can mean bypassing essential user feedback. And there’s often little appetite for refining the UX post-launch.
5. A Broad Spectrum of Users: Catering to a diverse audience, with varying tech proficiency, poses its own challenges.

“Software Last” a.k.a. #NoSoftware

The “Software Last” philosophy dictates that before diving into creating or automating a software solution, iwe might choose to deeply understand the needs of ALL the Folks That Matter – including those consituiences that often get excluded, overlooked or ignored –  and refine the business processes first. Let’s break this down:

1. Understand Stakeholder Needs: Before a single line of code is written, businesses might choose to gain a profound understanding of who their stakeholders are, what challenges they face, and what these folks hope to achieve through the product, or service.
2. Refine Business Processes: Instead of forcing a process into an existing software mold, organisations might choose to establish and clarify their processes first. This might involve eliminating redundancies, streamlining tasks, or redefining roles.
3. Iterative Collaboration: Regular touchpoints with stakeholders ensure that as the product or serevice is being developed, it remains aligned with the refined processes and meets the needs of its users.
4. Automation Comes Last: Only after these steps should automation be introduced. With a clear understanding of needs and a refined process, automation can truly enhance, not hinder, the user experience.

The Path Forward

By adopting a “Software Last” approach, the focus shifts from just creating software to creating meaningful, efficient solutions that prioritize users and their needs. This not only enhances UX but ensures software truly augments the business process, rather than complicating it.

In conclusion, while the UX of product and services has HUGE scope for improvement, by intertwining user-centric design principles with the “Software Last” philosophy, we can pave the way for product and services that are both functional and profoundly resonant.