The design phase can make or break your app
All great apps have one thing in common – great design.
These days, building an exceptional digital product is less of a goalpost and more of an expectation. That’s because, as consumers, we’re spoilt for choice with app powerhouses like Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify. In a matter of seconds, you’ve already intuitively figured out which buttons to tap to book a taxi or create a new playlist. That’s why, when you do come across a piece of software or app that isn’t inherently easy to navigate, your first instinct is to hit close.
The harsh reality is that poorly designed apps almost always fall short and fail. If you want to build a digital product that delivers on its promise, whether it’s for consumers or to improve business productivity, then you should be doubling down on the design – but probably not for the reasons that you think.
More than colour palettes and clean icons
The way your app is designed is one of the most important aspects of the development process. Why? Digital product design is all about figuring out how something creates and delivers value in the context of users, their goals, and the business. Consumer apps often measure success by increasing the time spent browsing. Enterprise apps are the opposite - the faster you’re in, out, and done, the better.
But design isn’t just about understanding your users and how to make your app desirable. Design also encompasses your technology stack and how to ensure your goals are feasible - given the constraints you must work within. Then there’s business strategy too - whether your app project is viable with a defined ROI.
Here’s why you should take the time to get the design right first – before jumping to the next stage:
Ensure you’re solving the right problem. Generally, the goal of any app, digital product, or enterprise software is to solve a problem for the people using it. To deliver on that promise, you must first understand who will use it, how, and why, and then design a product that is both useful and valuable. That goal-setting work happens in the design phase to ensure application goals are concrete, achievable, and rewarding – for example, completing timesheets in a minute.
Ensure the design makes users happy. Design workshops help to identify the emotions of users and dig deep into their context before, during, and after using your product. This will help you design to make users happy – a win-win for both users and the business.
Ensure a faster, smoother build phase. While some change is inevitable (and should be anticipated), you want to avoid an overwhelming amount of unexpected change that leads to expensive rework, blown budgets, and schedule delays.
Design tips from our experience
Don’t develop in isolation. During the design phase, cast the net wide and bring in all interested parties including end-users, business users such as finance and operational teams as well as IT teams.
Design based on information, not assumptions. Workshops are great to capture what we think we need to deliver but these assumptions should be tested in the field. Spending a few hours in the field shadowing end-users will help you understand their core frustrations and whether what you’re designing actually solves the right problem.
Don’t sacrifice integration. Apps form part of an information system which is the lifeblood of most modern enterprises. Good integration increases the pace with which information moves around your business. Real-time information speeds up decision-making, increases the efficiency of your workforce, manages risk, tackles errors and double handling, and allows for automation of monotonous tasks.
Understand your technical debt. Designing without integration at the core of your project almost always creates technical debt. No project is 100% free of technical debt, but a good design process will help you to understand your tech debt, how much you’re willing to carry, and when you’ll be ready to pay it back.
Less is always more. Don’t add too many functions to your app – instead, make it discrete and minimal so the end-user knows exactly when to use it. While it might seem counterintuitive, the objective is for the user to spend less time (not more) on the application.
Double down on design.
The main reason that design is so important to your app’s success is that it has a dramatic effect on user experience. You’re not done designing until there is a clear link between what you’re solving – the problem, and your solution — the delivered value. Nail the design phase and you’re guaranteed a faster, smoother build phase and happy end-users.
