If you want to choose the right software for your team, you’ll need to make sure it’s intuitive and easy to learn. But how can you tell for sure that this app is the right fit?
There are several hallmarks you’ll need to identify before declaring the perfect fit.
The Importance of an Intuitive App
Whether you’re looking for EHR software, billing software, a project management system, or even something simpler like time tracking software, intuitiveness and learnability are hugely important. If your app is easy to learn, it’s going to confer a number of benefits to your organization, including:
Less time spent training. For starters, you’ll have to spend less time educating and training your employees on this piece of software. Depending on the situation, you might have to spend hours with each employee to teach them the ropes of this new piece of software – or they might be able to figure it out entirely on their own. The right app could save you dozens or even hundreds of man-hours this way.
Troubleshooting autonomy. If your employees understand how the app works on a fundamental level, they should be able to resolve most of their problems on their own. They can try out a few different steps to fix the issue and consult built-in guides – rather than reaching out to your IT staff or bothering a supervisor.
Consistent app use. With an intuitive piece of software, you can also ensure consistent use. If all your employees understand how to use the system, you can be confident that it’s going to be used as intended. Instead of 20 employees each having their own approach to, say, task logging and communication management, everything will be much more streamlined.
Employee morale. Don’t underestimate the importance of employee perceptions and morale – after all, higher employee morale is correlated with higher organizational productivity. If your software is intuitive and easy to work with, your employees are going to be happier (and they’ll probably do a better job for your business as a result).
Gauging Learnability
The question is, how can you tell how learnable or intuitive this software is?
Personal experience. First, you need to think about your own personal experience with this software. You’ll likely have a chance to tinker around with the software in a demo or a free trial, so try to get in the minds of your employees. What do you click first? Are all the features easy to identify? What happens when you make a mistake – is it obvious how and why the mistake occurred? If you struggle to figure out exactly how the app works, your employees probably will as well.
Direct observations. Next, you’ll want to test the app with at least one employee to see how they use it in real-time. What do they try to do first? What are their instincts, and how well-served are those instincts by the design of the platform itself?
Consistent use. If you can, roll out this software to a small group of employees before you commit to a final purchase. Have them use it like they would if the software were fully integrated – and study their behavior. Do all these employees use the software the same way, without much instruction? Or do they have radically different perceptions on how the software should be used?
Tutorials and explanations. The best apps can be used by employees immediately, without much need for an in-depth selection of tutorials. They’re so well-designed and intuitive that they practically use themselves. However, it’s still important to have a robust selection of tutorials, video demonstrations, FAQ pages, and other types of content that can be used as troubleshooting guides or explainers.
Automated features. If a feature is handled automatically, your employees won’t need to learn it at all. That’s one reason why software has moved toward offering more automation in recent years. The more heavily automated your platform is, the less it will rely on employee knowledge and training.
Employee surveys. Most employers understand the importance of periodic employee surveys to gauge morale and determine employee disposition toward various workplace dynamics. If you’re contemplating the rollout of a new piece of software, consider allowing some of your employees to test it – and ask them to complete a survey regarding their experience. If they have issues figuring out how to use this software appropriately, this is your chance to learn about it.
Whenever your organization is in the market for a new piece of software, take the time to measure and evaluate its intuitiveness and learnability. The more accessible your software is for your employees, the better and more reliably they’re going to perform – and the happier everyone in your organization is going to be.