At Stage One, we know that UX is essential for anything that humans will use. User experience is about creating a well thought out and immersive experience for the user, whilst keeping development costs and implementation down.

When designing software, UX is no longer a “nice to have” afterthought, as it once was only a couple of years ago. Companies are now ensuring that UX is included from the initial design stages of their website, knowing that good UX can be a make-or-break situation for some users. And if your software doesn’t work, no one will use it.

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What is UX

Simply put, UX focuses on the interaction between the user of a product and the product itself, with emphasis on maximising communication between the two. User experience design is the process that encompasses all aspects of the interaction design between the end-users and the company, its services, and its products.

Every user experience design project is based on a deep understanding of users, their needs, values, as well as their abilities and limitations. It is oriented toward increasing customer satisfaction by improving the design usability and pleasure provided through the interaction between a customer and a product. In the most straightforward words, UX design is about making the user’s connection to the product the best it can be and creating a user journey through the product or service as easy and productive as possible.

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Reasons to care about UX during software development

The objectives of custom software are to be efficient, easy to use, help promote the brand, and, most importantly, provide an accurate tool for the job. If it doesn’t hit all those points, quite frankly, it’s not worth having! Implementing good UX is how you can take these objectives to the next level and improve your software. In addition, it is the best way to show that you care about your business, customers, and the impression your product makes on its target audience.

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Performance and productivity

One easy way to serve the Client’s needs, is to create intuitive menus, logically organise functions and use company-specific naming rules. Tapping into the user’s existing know-how is something you can do to reduce any mistakes and errors, and it can make the users more productive. At Stage One, we always get our clients involved, as it lets them know we are taking their ideas on board. It also enhances their acceptance of the software, since it makes them feel like they have also been part of the design process.

Custom software that works flawlessly, with intuitive steps and no bugs, can create a significant productivity leap in an organisation. Software with excellent UX allows users to focus on their jobs and spend less time finding their way around the programme, which is precisely what your Client wants as a result.

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Focusing on the Client’s brand

Both for internal software and consumer applications, branding is an important psychological factor.

In consumer software, such as an application, the UX dimension becomes the company’s business card, which users will discuss with potential new users. A well-designed app can act as a catalyst for customer loyalty, while a UX failure could mean losing customers altogether, which you don’t want for your Client!

Internal programmes are slightly different, as it’s here that UX can subtly transmit the company’s mindset to employees. The neat and logical organisation of items will improve employees time searching for things needed to help them completed their tasks on a day-to-day basis.

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Credibility

A custom product shows that the company cares about their clients and is dedicated to offering employees the best tools to fulfil their job. Of course, solutions like this can end up being costly in both time and money, but once it has been implemented, your clients will notice the difference and wonder how they ever worked without it!

Customers tend to pay attention to details, and UX can convert or detract them. HubSpot claims that 97% of a customer’s decision is influenced by the product’s experience. Since existing customers or even visitors can act as your brand ambassadors, you should strive to impress them in order to retain them and get them spreading the word about how well your software works!

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Increased Sales

All the reasons above boil down to providing a better tool for your employees and customers. To measure this, all your Client needs to do is look at their sales, as this is the best way to measure how effective the software has been.

To illustrate how versatile such sales-related benefits can be, it’s worth noting that custom software with a superb UX can reduce the time needed to process customer applications, increase the values of the shopping carts, drive more transactions for a retail banking app, and make the customers experience the best it can be, ensuring they come back time and time again.