Software Implementation – How to Accelerate User Adoption
Software Implementations are becoming the norm.
We implement Slack because Water Coolers conversations no longer exist.
We are trying a new Work Management solution because Emails and Microsoft Project can’t keep up.
IT requires Single Sign-On because, well, everything needs to be secure.
It’s just everything. And once one new software is in, you need to get another one. And another and another. Or replace the one you just implemented because of an essential but missed requirement.
It’s the world we live in now – what people have been calling ‘Digital Transformation.’ But, unfortunately, it’s just happening way faster than most people want.
If you are on the delivery side or the receiving side of this change, there are a few things you may want to consider to help accelerate user adoption.
1. Reduce Push Notifications
Every software application comes with notifications nowadays. Even applications that you thought couldn’t harass you digitally – now can.
The more advanced applications allow you to turn them off at the user level. Please do yourself a favor and turn most of them off. Find out what notifications you need, and then turn everything off. And while you are at it, turn off anything that makes a noise. Pavlov’s dogs are begging you.
2. Remove Duplication of Effort
A user-adoption deal-killer for most software applications is whether you require duplicate work from your end users. You’d be surprised how many managers need their team to enter the work into one system and then write an email with the same data. Ummm – why? What’s the point? Can’t the manager see the data in the new system? Unfortunately, the answer is usually yes.
If you want people to use the new system, duplication of work shouldn’t exist. And if you have to build integrations from one system to the next to save steps — do it. Duplicate work is soul-crushing for most employees.
3. Simplify the UX
Enterprise software can be complex – which is great. It means that enterprise software is capable of doing so much. What is not so great is when people’s training documents look like the above. Keep it simple. Keep the end-user experience simple, and they will use it.
In the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, there are three key ways to make change happen: Motivate the Elephant, Shape the Path, and Direct the Rider. You could easily argue that if you are trying to introduce a new software – a simple UX is the best way to Shape (and reinforce) the Path.
But, not only is simplifying the UX important – listening to feedback is even more critical. Remember that the designed Path may not be the one your End Users prefer.
