By Saurabh Gupta, Co-Founder ZEUX Innovation
Digital adoption is no longer a choice, it is a must-have to keep businesses agile in times when markets and consumer behaviour remains volatile. Digital transformation initiatives have become ubiquitous across the business world. However, an astounding 70% of digital transformation initiatives fall short of their objectives, according to new research from Boston Consulting Group. One of the main reasons for failed digital transformation initiatives is below-par user experiences. If the end user faces issues transitioning to the newly created digital channels because of overly complex workflows, difficult-to-use interfaces, etc. then the digital transformation is doomed to fail.
Here are 3 reasons why digital transformations get the user experience wrong
1. Not involving end-users
End-users are people who eventually use a digital interface and have the most pertinent input about how the experience should be designed. However, organizations around the world are full of examples of digital transformation programs where end-users were not involved in the process leading to a mismatch in digital expectation vs the reality of the user experience that ultimately got created.
Copy-pasting physical world modalities into a digital context
Digital transformations often focus on digitizing a physical/offline process. Organizations often fail to understand that if people are used to doing a certain task in the physical realm, a lot of care is needed when transferring that task into the digital realm. Organizations erroneously assume that user behaviour & environmental factors remain the same across physical and digital contexts ultimately leading to failed digital transformation initiatives. It’s very important to consider that the same people will do the exact same task differently in different settings.
Not involving experts
A user experience expert’s role consists of understanding how users feel and interact with a digital interface and make this experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. They are trained in the science and art of crafting digital experiences that are intuitive, efficient, and relevant. Trying to accomplish digital transformations without involving user experience experts would be akin to building a bridge without civil engineers.
3 Keys to getting the user experience right for digital transformation initiatives
1. Don’t digitise in a vacuum
Use a user-centered design approach to have at least two direct touchpoints with the end users that will research and validate the digital interface before it gets developed. This will ensure that the digitisation matches the end-user’s expectations and addresses their problems and needs.
2. Leverage best practices
Involve user experience practitioners who will question the physical modalities instead of just creating a digital replica of the offline process. Trained digitization experts have the digital education, experience, and exposure to ensure that the relevant scientific principles and digital best practices are being used in the transformation process.
3. Craft a transition plan
Just creating new and improved digital processes doesn’t mean users will adopt them. Digital transformation initiatives tend to face a lot of pushback from end users because deep-rooted behaviour and habits are hard to change. It’s important to create a digital transition strategy that gradually eases them into the new digital ecosystem instead of forcing them to make a sudden switch.
People First. Technology Second
Digital transformations are very difficult to do. The only way to achieve success is by ensuring there is complete alignment between the organisational leadership, IT teams, user experience experts, and end users. At the end of the day, digital transformations are not just about using more technology, they are about driving culture change. A digitally transformed culture is possible only when organisations strive to understand and empathize with the people first and focus on the technology after.
