Article:
Customizing COTS and SaaS for Real-World Needs Using UX Research
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Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and software as a service (SaaS) products promise quick setup, cost savings, and scalable technology that can solve critical business needs. While these solutions offer convenience and flexibility, they don’t always meet your organization’s unique requirements straight “out-of-the-box.”
The Solution? UX Research
UX research helps you understand how people interact with your COTS or SaaS platform, so you can customize it to meet their needs. This means fewer frustrations, smoother adoption, fewer errors, and better results for your investment.
Common Challenges with COTS or SaaS Platforms
COTS and SaaS platforms are built for flexibility, but not necessarily for precision. While they are marketed as “plug-and-play,” the reality is more complex. Organizations quickly realize that the platform’s generic features don’t align with their users’ unique requirements.
Generic Terminology
The platform’s default labels, menus, and language may not align with your organization’s internal terms and processes. This mismatch can lead to confusion and misinterpretation for internal staff and public users.
Rigid Workflows
Many platforms take a one-size-fits-all approach. This might force your organization to fit into a predefined workflow that does not match how your staff actually performs tasks.
Nonintuitive Navigation
Poorly structured interfaces can make simple tasks difficult, wasting users' time. This increases the need for staff support, steals time and resources away from other business processes —and decreases the platform's return on investment.
Customizing COTS or SaaS Platforms with UX Research
UX research connects the capabilities of COTS and SaaS platforms with your organization’s specific needs, ensuring that the platform aligns with workflows, engages users, and is useful.
Key UX Research Practices
User Interviews and Surveys
Directly engage with your users to uncover their goals, challenges, and needs with respect to the new platform. Insights from interviews and surveys can highlight critical pain points.
Prototyping and Testing
Create early prototypes of the system and test it with users to identify what does and doesn't work. Doing this before a full system roll-out will save time and avoid costly rework.
Iterative Design
Refine configurations step by step through usability testing to ensure workflows are as seamless and user-friendly as possible before implementation.
UX research makes sure the platform works for your organization, so you don’t have to change the way you work to fit the platform.
Transforming Service Delivery: How UX Research Optimized Zendesk for Seattle’s Permit Applicants
When the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections shifted to online services during COVID-19, they needed a user-friendly way to help applicants with the city’s permitting process. The Department set up a virtual applicant center using Zendesk, a leading SaaS platform.
Redesigning Chatbot Flows
Many applicants on the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections’ website found it overwhelming to identify the department or service they needed to get their permit questions answered. Our UX researchers mapped user journeys and designed clear, intuitive chatbot flows in Zendesk to guide applicants to the right resource.
Simplifying Language
By rewriting chatbot scripts and help content with plain language principles, we made the guidance from Zendesk easier to understand, significantly improving the help center’s usability.
Improving Self-service Options
By testing and refining the Q&A content, we helped applicants access self-service tools or live support when needed, reducing frustration and boosting efficiency.
Zendesk offers numerous chatbots and workflows, and the configuration of these can make or break the success of a help center. Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections partnered with Anthro-Tech to research, customize, and optimize the platform for their staff and users.
Thanks to UX research, Zendesk was thoughtfully customized into an intuitive, valuable tool for the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. The platform streamlined customer support workflows, reduced frustration, and improved satisfaction. During the pandemic, it solved a critical challenge by providing virtual support when in-person visits weren’t possible, and it continues to serve applicants who prefer or need online assistance.
The Risks of Skipping UX Research in COTS or SaaS Implementation
Skipping UX research during a COTS or SaaS implementation can have significant consequences for organizations:
- Poor adoption rates: Users are less likely to use tools that don’t meet their needs
- Decreased efficiency: Confusing workflows and poor navigation can slow down productivity.
- Higher costs: Ineffective software increases support needs and diminishes ROI.
Organizations that prioritize UX research position themselves for success. By using UX research to tailor off-the-shelf tools to fit real-world needs, organizations can ensure that their investments in technology deliver the greatest possible value.