The Think Digitally Design

In part one of this four-part series, we covered the blueprint phase and its importance for all subsequent stages. We now know what your current processes are within your business and why you follow them.

This phase is probably the most complex in terms of the sheer scale of work that we need to cover to establish the new SaaS software product's actual requirements. We believe it is critical that your business and Think Digitally clearly understand the software requirements to ensure we can deliver the software on time and within budget.

"Our core belief is creating a great user experience, not just building a product."

It is critically important that all users of the new software get input into the design phase. The ultimate goal here is to build a product with a great user experience. These days, anyone can make a product, but not everyone can create a great user experience.

One of the biggest challenges facing the design phase is that people generally sit in two camps. There are those people who can visualize a solution using the narrative and those that need visual aids. Think Digitally has the expertise to handle both scenarios during the workshop sessions. This expertise ensures all team members can understand the solution and what benefits it has for them.

As we mentioned in part one of this series, resistance to change is a natural part of our makeup, and during the design phase, it is critical we get all team members on board with the project.

At this stage, your team members should be able to:

1. See benefits to their daily work;
2. See benefits to the company as a whole;
3. Buy into the fact change is happening and they will be directly contributing to this change;
4. Raise any concerns they may have;
5. Reassure team members over any fears or resistance to change they may have;

"Systems that lack attention to the user experience can appear completely fit for purpose, however, in reality are completely unfit for use."

At Think Digitally, we place the user experience at the forefront of each project. We have industry experts within our team to ensure everything we create gets built with a total focus on human interaction.

The user experience design gets broken down into three broad parts, namely:-

Interactive Wireframing

This process allows us to build a virtual prototype before we write any code quickly. Wireframing is especially beneficial for those team members who are very visual in their requirements.

Human Scenario Analysis

This process allows us to understand the physical and psychological environment the team member is working under while using the software. For example, team members on a production line have very different requirements to those sitting in an office behind a computer.

Process Engineering

Having completed the blueprint, we also want to use this opportunity to improve, streamline, and reduce effort. Technology changes rapidly, and we should take this opportunity to reduce workload and improve efficiency.

One of the key aspects to drive success is appointing a Team Member, or members, as champions of the project. The objective here is to take ownership of the new software and encourage all team members' involvement.

Over the many years of developing software solutions, we know that if your team members do not buy into the new solution, or there is a dramatic resistance to change, the project will fail.

At Think Digitally, we want every project to succeed and have put this framework in place to give you the best possible opportunity to progress. Once we have completed the design phase, it will give your business a vision of the possibilities and Think Digitally the ability to deliver a cost estimate to build your new SaaS solution.

In part three of this series, we will discuss the software development phase and the reality of scope creep, and what it means for your business. We will go into the importance of your team champions and how the whole team can get involved in this critical process.

In conclusion, if it is time for your business to update your business software, we welcome the opportunity to start the journey with you.

Roger Graham MACS

Think Digitally (APAC)