Zero Training Apps: The Top 5 Design Principles
Everyone knows the frustration that comes from using ill designed, non-obvious technologies. When you immediately regret trying, where the learning curve is too steep and where nothing makes sense.
Most people have a choice when they find themselves in such a situation and can simply retreat and delete the offending app. However for an unlucky few this experience is forced upon them each and every day and they call it work.
It should be obvious that people can only process a finite amount of information at any given time. Exceed this and they start to experience a cognitive overload.
Companies such as Apple and Google are now designing products for use by school children and this is leading to a change in people’s expectations. User-friendliness has become ubiquitous in modern consumer applications and while the complexity of such systems is still increasing, people assume they will be easy, intuitive and pleasant to use.
So how do you achieve the consumer experience in a business app?
Simplicity
Focus on one thing at a time and make this obvious. Finish the task and move on. The more controls presented to the user at any time makes choosing the correct option more difficult. Do not complicate things when there is a simple solution.
Emulate the real world
Understand the context, motivations and goals of your users. Use well understood visual metaphors to convey meaning. Apple was the first to introduce the concept of the ‘Recycle bin‘ over 30 years ago, where files are moved to when deleted but are still recoverable. This was immediately understandable and is still in use today. Learn to leverage peoples’ understanding of the real world and your app will feel intuitive.
Consistency
Be consistent both internal to your app and externally with established design patterns used elsewhere. If the user learns to operate the system in one place, that knowledge should be transferable to the next. Similarly use well understood established patterns, think drop-down menus or blue text indicating a link, as they require no explanation. Learn to leverage existing designs decisions as they help users understand the system.
Iterate Improvements
No one gets everything right first time, or second; understand the problems faced by your users and react. However, do not make minor alterations without good reason. Power users get used to a system and small inconsequential changes drive these people nuts. Be consistent but improve.
Efficiency
A well designed app will naturally lead to efficiency for the user and they will love it. Make their life easy with obvious benefits and they leave feeling satisfied with their and your work. Albert Einstein did say;
“Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.”
This statement means it is not possible to eliminate all training in all cases. Some things should always require training, such as landing a plane. However, that’s not an excuse to overload the user. When applications are usable, the training is easier, quicker, and more effective letting the users better retain what they’ve learned. Well-designed apps are a one-off cost and will continue to provide benefits for years to come as the staff come and go.
For a case study on how Balfour Beatty replaced paper with mobile apps, barcodes and RFID tags, download by clicking here…