- srefael
User Input to Drive Better Outcomes
My two favorite pieces of user input from WorkplaceUX:
In no particular order……
The way we work needs to be supported by technology, rather than choosing technology based on what's cool or looks good.
Meeting space tech is designed primarily for people in-room and then secondarily for people who will be remote. It should all be designed around the principle that people can be anywhere.
Why do I love these two pieces of input we've heard from users at major corporations during our WorkplaceUX engagements? Because it's describing what the users want in a way that tells the IT orgs that it’s not about the tech, it’s about the experience and the technology that facilitates that desired outcome.
IT organizations need to change from leading with solutions that are add-ons to existing technology, or adding shiny new gadgets, or letting procurement dictate investments by packaging solutions and looking for economies of scale.
Start with the experience. The employees’ desired outcome. And then enable the heck out of the workforce.
Think about the preferences users may have for how they learn about what tools are available, how they may want to experience training or how they want to receive information from the business that they work for. All of it needs to be understood and designed for. And then we need to look at how IT organizations shape their ongoing support to be more about enablement and less about a break/fix mentality.
If you look at what the users are saying in the above statement, you’ll quickly see that they want to be heard. They don’t want crazy techy solutions but rather solutions that work consistently for them to be productive. I’ve had clients go out and buy some really cool and expensive stuff. Really falling into the “we want to be more like Facebook and Google” category. But they aren’t Facebook and Google. Facebook and Google are great companies that have made huge investments in their workplace by listening and thinking through their business goals and desired user experience. But how many companies are really like Facebook and Google? The trick is to listen to your employees and incorporate those outcomes they desire with the desired future you are planning for your organization.
