Survey-, marketing- and design systems are only a few out of all the systems that employees are exposed to throughout their employment. Not only do they need to become acquainted with – they are most likely also expected to work independently within all these. Therefore, you should choose your systems based on what is easily accessible and intuitive for the average employee – without compromising with the functionalities of course.
The User Experience (UX) design is a method towards good user experiences. Several it-companies have adopted the technique that favors users and takes on a user perspective in the development of their systems.
The UX-design is about understanding and accommodating to the user experience, ensuring that the design meets the needs of and requests from users rather than causing confusion and further frustration.
- If the user does not experience the system to be intuitive, we consequently need to change it. It is exactly this interaction with the users that makes the entire difference, Carina Michelle Christensen, UX-designer at Stakeholder Intelligence, Ramboll, explains.
Ramboll is the face behind SurveyXact, which is the most widely used do-it-yourself questionnaire system in Denmark, and Carina Michelle Christensen adopts the UX-design method in the continuous development of hereof. This includes, amongst other practices, a test conducted by those who use the system daily – namely the users.
Carina moreover offers three reasons as to why you should search for it-systems that emphasize UX in the development
If the user is not actively included in the process of developing rather complex it-systems, there is a risk of the systems being perceived as exhaustive and unsatisfying. Instead, the UX-design is a process through which actual users collaborate with a designer to create shared understandings of the experiences of using the system.
- At SurveyXact, we tend to make use of think-out-loud-exercises. This includes a user solving a task in SurveyXact while uttering those aspects of the process that are experienced to be confusing, frustrating, and everything in between, Carina Michelle Christensen explains. She continues:
- In the meantime, I sit next to the user and ask questions. This way, we gain insights into the barriers, the doubts and the frustrations. It is valuable information for the improvement of the user experience. Where does doubt occur? Why does it become difficult? Why do they hesitate? All this helps us identify the areas that are most important to assess.
In terms of questionnaires, specifically, differing needs and inquiries are evident from user to user. Therefore, there is a need for a large scope of functionalities. If you wish to conduct the best possible survey, it is unfortunate to be restricted to a minimum set of functionalities in the design of the system.
The balance, however, becomes challenging when all these functionalities are to be combined with user-friendly solutions. Hence, if the system is developed without the inclusion of users, it is very likely to become inconvenient to use. Therefore, she recommends always to go with systems that accommodate to the identified needs, and that simultaneously offer easy navigation.
Systems like SurveyXact are do-it-yourself solutions that enable users to work independent of others. Otherwise, it will simply just cause a decrease in the efficiency of your work.
It tends to be hard to decide upon which functionalities that are considered most relevant to easily conduct professional surveys, especially due to its individual manner, but the continuous contact with users provides unique insights into the needs and wishes that these possess. At SurveyXact this has resulted in an interface prioritizing the most frequently used functions.
This allows new users to quickly get started with using the fundamental tools, while experienced users still are enabled to delve into the more advance