the rise of “just-right” apps€¦ · in a 2015 study, gartner senior analyst richard marshall...

The rise of “just-right” apps7 rules for enterprise software success

The rise of “just-right” apps 2

This e-book is an adaptation of the blog series The Revolution of Just-Right Enterprise Apps by Ken McElrath, available here.

© Copyright 2017 Skuid, Inc. All rights reserved. Skuid, skuidify and the Skuid mark are registered trademarks of Skuid, Inc. Salesforce1, Force.com, Visualforce, and Chatter are trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc.

In the old fairytale, “Goldilocks and the Three

Bears,” Goldilocks tried the first chair and it

was too hard. The second? Too soft. Finally,

she found the chair that was “just right.”

Why “just right,” and what does it mean?

3 The rise of “just-right” apps

In the world of enterprise hardware and software, the idea of

a solution being “just right” has often been abandoned. Vendors sold

us on the idea of generic, “good enough” solutions—apps not

tailored to unique business processes and go-to-market strategies.

When we discovered that generic would not work, we often spent

countless hours and cash on coding customizations.

We have fought battles over hardware. We have warred over software. And we’re tired

of settling for out-of-the-box, vendor-defined solutions. What we really want now are

applications that are “just right” for each team, customer, partner, and person—to lay our

weapons down and just get stuff done. But how?


In a 2015 study, Gartner senior analyst Richard Marshall observes that, “by 2018,

more than half of all new mobile apps will be created by business analysts using

codeless tools.” He then concludes, “apps will become increasingly contextual…

dynamically adapting to services offered by the environment.” Whether the timing

of his prophecy is right or wrong, Marshall is onto a megatrend.

Just as the web browser made the internet available to all, a new breed of app

design-and-deploy platforms will make just-right app creation available to all—

even people with zero coding experience. We’re entering the era of citizen

developers. Anyone will be able to create a killer app. But “killer” won’t be defined

by a mass audience—it will be defined by an audience of one.

Change the tools.


Zero in on human-centered design.So what makes just-right apps so powerful? Just-right apps start with a human

need, not the technology. Just because something can be done does not

mean it should be done. Just because a vendor offers a slick new feature does

not mean it will meet the needs of each user. Some features just get in the

way of real productivity. Getting to “just right” means starting with the needs of

each user and tailoring solutions around how work could be done differently.

Instead of automating existing processes, human-centered design questions

each process entirely, asking, “How can we make this exponentially better

for each person involved?” For example, instead of shaving seconds off a call

process, could we cut call times by 75%, or eliminate calls entirely?


To deliver valuable information in the most meaningful ways,

it is logical to build applications only once we understand

the real and felt needs of end users. Instead of focusing on

comparing features and functions of established shrink-wrap

solutions, it’s more important to start with the needs of each

user, and assemble apps rooted in observation, empathy,

rapid prototyping, and iteration.

Human-centered design never starts with the app. It starts with the user. Just-right

means we strive to develop solutions that work the way people do, rather than

forcing people to work the way the technology works. People want applications

that work the way they do at all times—and on the devices of their choosing.

People quickly abandon clunky apps that don’t provide intuitive experiences.

We want our lives to be simpler and more efficient.


Understand the drivers.

But before we dive into the rules of building

just-right enterprise apps, it’s important

to understand the factors that are driving this

change. These forces are causing seismic shifts

in business app development and have

profound implications on perceived—and real—

success and failure of business solutions.


The cloud has become a commodity.We are witnessing the sunset of on-premise servers. Cloud platforms

like Amazon Web Services (AWS) make spinning up processing and

storage capacity a point-and-click operation. Computing infrastructure

can be accessed like any other utility. Actually, it’s even easier. You can

spin up a cloud compute facility on the other side of the globe in less

than an hour. You can’t do that with a power utility. So, we now judge

cloud infrastructure platforms—infrastructure as a service, or IaaS—

on metrics like transaction speed, storage space, and uptime.

The high cost of infrastructure has all but disappeared. Businesses

can simply rent the computing power they need for a fraction of

the price. As the costs associated with cloud infrastructure continue

to drop, competitive pricing benefits businesses of all sizes.


Thanks to cloud commoditization and the rise of open-

source options, database offerings are no longer limited

to the big names. A host of upstart software companies

now stand shoulder to shoulder with organizations

like Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle. This translates into lower

overall costs for cloud-based database services.

The vast array of application program interfaces (APIs)

and web services—which provide access to data where

it resides—have shifted focus for competitive database

software. Companies no longer need to migrate data

with rip-and-replace database decisions. Instead, it’s more

important to access data wherever it may be, and make

that data useful in real-time, transactional ways. With

APIs and web services, apps can now be built without

changing the system of record.

Competition changed the database landscape.


The traditional app development model relies heavily on collaboration between

line-of-business, technical, and design teams. Front-line business teams—

those most keenly aware of customer needs and frustrations—bear the primary

responsibility of communicating these requirements. Business teams often

understand challenges and have brainstormed solutions, but information gets

lost in translation because business teams aren’t able to properly articulate

their current needs or anticipate their future needs. How much time has been

wasted by writing requirements that just get abandoned? It’s scary.

A new breed of design-and-deploy platform can remove the need for lengthy

requirements gathering. Imagine real-time prototyping, design, development,

deployment, and iteration. It’s now possible. Those closest to customers can now

quickly build just-right apps and iterate at the speed of business.

Development must keep pace with business.


Users still rule the day.


Customers provide the most valuable insights into technology development.

End users hold the keys to driving powerful, meaningful solutions. But

sometimes, this rule is forgotten.

IT, design, and business sometimes seem to be at odds with each other.

A major contributor to this friction is that each group uses different tools.

Our tools can keep us siloed. While the goal of any app project should

be to address the needs of users, we often trip over what can and cannot be

done. Design wants something the current platform does not support.

IT wants something that a preferred business app cannot deliver. As leaders

get their heads around the customer-centric imperative, they will learn

to fight to meet the needs of the customer—instead of fighting against each

other. App users must rule the day. But to get to this level of collaboration

and customer obsession, we need a different type of platform—one that

won’t lock us into silos of inflexibility or frustration.

Modern business trends are bringing line-of-business teams,

design, and IT closer than ever before—with the ultimate goal of

better serving customers through intuitive, powerful, “just-right”

apps. Sounds great in theory, right? But putting it into practice is

another thing entirely. To help guide your process, we developed

seven rules to help leaders navigate the land mines.


Follow the 7 rules for just-right apps.


It cannot be emphasized enough: we must constantly learn and relearn to adapt

our apps to the ever-changing needs of people—not the other way around.

People don’t want to act the way computers do, and they shouldn’t be expected

to. When undertaking a new app development project, start by listening to the

needs of users and design your app to meet them. Human-centered apps are

the future, and failing to focus on the people using your technology could mean

disaster. In short, “more human, less machine” should be the guiding principle for

enterprise app development.

Very practically, this means we need to spend some time observing how users try

to get their work done each day. Spending a day—or even an hour—looking over

someone’s shoulder can transform understanding. Asking how and why they do

what they do can lead to powerful, transformational insights.

Focus on humans.1


In the world of just-right apps, we build to think. Traditional app development processes get

bogged down by overthinking and personal bias. We’ve wasted too much time trying to write

requirements documents and build prototypes based on our own skewed understanding

about what users need, only to find out that our own assumptions and desires have tainted the

end result. Rather than expecting users to translate visual and intuitive expectations into

written requirements, we should show users what we’re building as we build. By involving them

in a visual, more intuitive process, we can check our biases at the door and get real-time

feedback before it’s too late to turn back.

Use face-to-face meetings with users to drive app development. Avoid archaic wire-framing.

Instead, adopt a design-and-deploy platform that delivers rapid, real-time, real-world

prototyping and iteration to test and learn as you go. We must change our processes and

tools so we can build apps while sitting next to actual users. With the right process and

tools, we can learn to build and adjust solutions faster while driving adoption from those

who co-design the apps with us—the end users.

Build to think. 2

Successful consumer apps work seamlessly for users from all walks of life. Just-right

enterprise apps should do the same thing within the context of your business.

While it makes sense to gather stakeholders from all levels and departments

across your enterprise to understand a broader set of application needs, it is very

important to also consider the needs of narrower, exclusive sets of users who can

make or break your app’s success. To the maximum extent possible, abstract

to meet the broader needs of your company—without losing the ability to tailor

to the needs of specific users. This “mass customization” gives every user a vested

interest in the project’s success. It also creates an opportunity for every person

to make an impact on company success.

Drive mass-market usability while protecting individual needs.

3


Just-right apps adjust at the speed of users’ needs—

both broadly and specifically.

Mass-market consumer apps update and react at the speed of customers. Similarly, enterprise

apps should be able to adapt at the speed of business, without sacrificing the needs of

individual users. Choosing the right design-and-deploy platform can help you achieve this.

Look for a platform that can deliver a consumer-like user experience (UX), with user interface

(UI) tooling to deploy different processes and UIs to different user types without losing the

big picture. For example, can you create a unique process tailored to business development

reps, field reps, and partner managers without sacrificing the usability or data aggregation

required by your sales leaders? When we build apps that include usability based on individual

user roles, we can truly address the key pain points of people throughout our organizations.


4

Even though data may be fragmented into different systems of record, it’s critical

to “defrag” this data by joining disparate data sources with a unified “system

of engagement.” Just-right apps seamlessly connect valuable data sources

and present meaningful information within an intuitive interface—allowing users

to pick and choose the data they need at any given moment—and securely

reading and writing to systems of record in ways that keep IT happy. Giving

users instant control over the data they need means the information should be

contextualized immediately to deliver truth and value.

APIs and web services allow businesses to eliminate the inefficiencies caused

by data silos. Meanwhile, a UX platform like Skuid can connect disparate data

without writing any code or doing any extract-transform-load (ETL) processes.

Skuid negates the need for cost- and time-intensive migration projects. You

can take advantage of these innovations to provide a just-right experience for

your users.

Connect data systems.



Market demand for app development services will grow at least five times faster than

organizations’ capacities to deliver them by the end of 2017, according to Gartner

research. Simply put, business needs are and will continue to outpace our ability

to write enough code to keep up. The long development cycles of the past cannot

keep up with the pace of innovation we now require.

Design-and-deploy platforms should dramatically reduce code and reinforce good

UX design principles so that developers, designers, and business users can actively

and intuitively participate in the app-creation process. This is the next wave, where

platforms for innovation make it possible to quickly create and evolve fully

custom, powerful, just-right enterprise applications. Reducing code-dependency

saves money and time. (The Skuid platform typically pays for itself in just 30 days.)

But the major gains come when key stakeholders have the time and platform

to collaborate on solving complex business challenges, and when users achieve

maximum productivity and happiness with their software experience.

Create without code. 5

6

Complicated interfaces and user experiences translate into lengthy training

times and low user adoption, stopping app projects in their tracks. Bad UX turns

apps that should make employees’ jobs easier into obstacles to productivity.

Often it’s code that prevents good UX. How? Writing code can chew up an

application’s budget. By the time the functions and processes get built,

there isn’t enough budget left to create a user experience that makes the app

truly useful. UX gets sacrificed as a “nice-to-have” instead of a mission-critical

element of the project. Problem is, often these usability compromises cannot

be overcome, even with extensive training.

Encourage users.



While an off-the-shelf app may advertise an award-winning UX or interface, ask yourself, “For

whom?” If the UX was not designed by and for your users in your unique business, chances are slim

that your users will love the app or want to use it. In fact, while they may be wowed by a slick user

interface at first, it may only take them a few weeks or days to throw it under the bus.

Just-right apps intuitively deliver insights to each user. Visual skins that sit atop existing apps are

not enough to do this. In fact, they may be just the opposite of what is required for your company.

Just as with humans, so it is with enterprise app UX: true beauty is not just skin deep. Because

user experience is the key to unlock productivity and inspire business growth for your users, it is

mission-critical for all enterprises, large and small, to take control of their user experience and

refuse to concede it to any particular vendor. “Good enough” is not “just-right.” Act otherwise and,

like Goldilocks, you may find yourself being chased by angry bears.

Take control of your UX. 7


To create just-right applications that adapt at the speed of business

and market changes, you need an enterprise-class, design-and-deploy user

experience platform. Some vendors tout the message of no-code app

development, but only Skuid delivers a platform where business,

developers and designers can collaborate to create dynamic, beautiful,

seamless, completely custom apps. With Skuid, no code is required to create

apps, but developers and designers can extend the platform in powerful

ways, including theming, custom components, and much more.

Embrace a design-and-deploy UX platform.


Skuid works with most enterprise software platforms and systems of record to create custom-tailored apps with point-and-click, drag-and-drop ease— no code required.

Visit blog.skuid.com for just-right app development resources.

On our case studies page, you’ll see examples of how global enterprises have used

Skuid’s cloud UX platform to build just-right apps faster and at far lower costs than code.

You’ll read how—in just 8 weeks—Intuit built an entirely new sales process that enables

their 1,600 sales reps to make more deals more quickly, improving user adoption

by 80%.

You’ll also find out how AFL saved $82,000 on Salesforce® implementation using Skuid,

and $20,000 annually by eliminating subscription fees they would have paid for an

off-the-shelf incentive management product.

http://blog.skuid.com

https://www.skuid.com/case-studies/

Skuid can get you started on the path to just-right apps.Visit skuid.com to learn what

accelerating innovation by design

can mean for your business.

24

http://www.skuid.com

Ken McElrath Cofounder and CEO of Skuid, Inc.

McElrath is a serial entrepreneur, design thinker, author, and artist. Before launching Skuid, he cofounded Skoodat to build education solutions on the Salesforce Platform, and Cazabba, a creative and technology services firm. He led marketing and product management for RetailersMarketXchange (RMX), a Bay-area startup. He also spent seven years with MicroAge Inc., where he led marketing for its systems integration division.

Ken co-authored two books, The Ascent of a Leader and Beyond Your Best. He serves on the board of The Art Factory in Germany. McElrath earned two bachelor’s degrees from Grand Canyon University and an MFA degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.


Chattanooga | San Francisco | London | Zürich

1 800 515 2535 | skuid.com

http://www.skuid.com

the rise of “just-right” apps€¦ · in a 2015 study, gartner senior analyst richard marshall...

Documents