Implementing a User-Centric Approach to IT
Posted on January 10, 2022
2 mins to read
User experience improvement is normally based on data that has been gathered from users directly and analyzed to gain valuable insights.
Remote work has recently become an integral part of our lifestyle, so IT leaders must adopt an original approach that regards internal users as customers to increase the company’s agility. How does it work? A user-focused model of organizing workspace allows gaining numerous benefits, including:
- Increased efficiency of new tools utilization
- Overall productivity growth due to the ability to focus directly on employees’ core tasks and responsibilities rather than technology
- Smoother work of technical teams due to fewer user mistakes
- Increased user satisfaction and loyalty to their company
Sounds great, doesn’t it?
Learn how to make use of the user-centric approach and avoid mistakes during its implementation:
1. Clarify the main goals of the user-centric approach
User experience is a broad area. Implementation should be precisely specified at the beginning of the project. For instance, clarify the purpose of including the user-experience approach and identify potential implications on other related streams. Note: a collective understanding of the user-experience approach and implementation in the project is essential for the success of any user-centered solution.
2. Be prepared to invest time and resources into the assessment
User experience is part of a project just like any other capability. To produce the most powerful insights, conduct corresponding research first. Keep in mind you will need to design and perform such research and analyze outcomes before being able to progress to the next steps.
3. Ensure management support
User experience is about learning to improve by gathering data directly from users. To do so, we must question them about their needs, collect their answers, and act to have these needs fulfilled. Users need time to provide UX team with feedback during the workday which is next to impossible without top-level management support.
4. Discuss an outcome with an entire team
Sharing results, engaging an entire team, and including decision-makers is critical to success. User-experience specialists should present the results of their survey, disclose expectations, share data and conclusions, and share the possible implications on service or product. Finally, set up priorities and then move on to the implementation.
5. Track changes and collect users’ feedback
The initial approach might end up being not as effective as expected. In such cases do not hesitate to adapt and change it. Gather feedback, adjust the solution, and test it with users one iteration after another. People are individuals, not machines so naturally there is no “one size fits all” solution. Any changes must be tested by real users, the adjustments checked, and the results measured. This procedure should be repeated until the result is satisfactory.
