When is simple better?

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Easy. When it’s smarter.

Boasting technology that is easy to use can put certain suppliers in a vicarious position. Simplified software can be so diluted or ‘dumbed-down’, that it doesn’t meet the basic needs of the user. Besides touting simplicity, the software may have nothing of real value to offer. Just because it looks like other, more universally known, software products, or has an attractive screen display, or is a plug and play platform, doesn’t mean it’s a fully evolved product. While it may seem appealing to a user at first, they soon realize that with all of the ‘simple’ bells and whistles, functionality has been compromised and a comprehensive tool is nowhere to be found. On the flip side, what if simplicity is positioned as a dominant feature, but the software is so complicated to navigate that the user throws up their hands in frustration and heads back to their pile of file folders or a tattered reservation book?

In our case, the software we design is complex on the development side and user-friendly on the front end. Our development processes are lengthy and detailed. We critically study the work environment of users so that we completely understand the process flow of information and the unique demands of their environment. We gather user input at various stages in the development process to make sure that we’re addressing the subtle details that make all the difference between a usable finished product versus one that becomes simply another obstacle in the way of completing required tasks. This iterative, user-centered design approach results in a product that is truly assistive – easy to navigate, rich with valuable functionality, easily integrated into the normal process flow of the work environment – and simply smarter than the rest.

Our software simplifies user practices without watering down functionality. Our platform is intuitive so that the software does what users need it to do and want it to do, all while prompting them through their own internal, operationally specific processes. The software speaks the user’s language, utilizes their unique business parameters, as well as incorporates industry knowledge and assumptions to help anticipate next steps.

We’ve been known to say that our software is simple to use. We’re not going to deny that. The difference is that we’ve taken simple to the next level and made is smart. We would never assume that the industry is only drawn to pretty screen displays or try to fool them by saying we’re as easy to use as other software products just because we have similar layout. The industry’s needs are diverse and layered with complexity and our job is to make the user’s job easier. Because our software is smart, we become that extra pair of hands, that second set of eyes, that extra reservationist or that catering sales assistant. There’s real value there. We know that. Our customers know that.

That’s how simple really becomes better.