Have you ever worked on creating the perfect UX design for any kind of enterprise application? For most people, the answer is most likely going to be “no”. If you try tackling this challenge, you will soon realize how difficult it is to be satisfied with the finished product. You will catch yourself constantly going back and fixing certain details that you don’t like after you have already designed enterprise applications. “If only you had more time” you might think to yourself. You need to be realistic and honest with yourself. Perfection is very hard to reach. It is a huge challenge for any development team, and it is an especially hard task when you are building applications enterprises need to rely on for everyday operations. The pressure is exceptionally huge and hard to bear.

However, even with all the stress and challenges, it is still worth aiming for the perfect UX for enterprise applications. Why is it worth a try? Well, as it turns out it is an excellent investment. Every dollar that goes into UX can bring up to $100 in return. It has been shown that around 90% of users tend to quit using an app altogether if it is performing poorly. With the advanced technology that we have today, no one is bothered to work with an app that keeps lagging, especially when the app is used for important company tasks. The issues that can make people quit the app can be slow load times, too many ads, and so on.

For these reasons, aiming for that perfect UX design is very important. It should be your number one priority to create an app that will work great for companies that need a high-performance app for their daily operations. In order to create such an app, you need to be familiar with all the possible challenges that you will face in the process of creating the app. You need to know how to tackle these challenges so that you can eliminate any possible issues that may arise.

These three are the biggest challenges you will face and the way you can tackle them:

Challenge 1: Giving Users What They Need

When you’re designing an enterprise application, it will be easy for you to be carried away by creative ideas about the aesthetics of the app and how you can make it flashy and eye-catching. However, your primary focus should be on how to create a user-friendly app that is going to deliver high performance for any kind of online business.

Looks are very important indeed. Most companies will look for very trendy designs that go well with the theme the company CEO has in mind, but the aesthetics of the app should never be the priority.

As much as you want the users to have a great time discovering different app features and finding the app design aesthetically pleasing, you need to remember the importance of the functionality of your app. Don’t get carried away and try to fill the app with all the possible features that you think the users will appreciate. The point is not to fulfill every user’s wish. You need to sort out what the most important features are and how they should be implemented.

A good approach is to reach out to existing users and ask them about the feedback. Ask them what they would like to see in the final version of the app. However, try to do this in the early stage of app designing. This way, you will be able to get clear pointers that will help you plan out your project. You will be able to see what it is that people want and what they don’t want, but they will also most likely suggest certain features that are just appealing to the eye without actually any good or advantageous properties. 

The question is how do you fix this issue? Well, you need to start by analyzing your users’ behavior. Then, try to pinpoint and analyze the functions that are most beneficial while doing the hands-on tests.

Firstly, you can gather the users and let them try the app by giving them a list of tasks they need to complete. Then, carefully analyze and study them. What are the features they are using the most frequently? When trying to find a solution to the issue, what features do they miss? It is important that you test the app with users from different departments and backgrounds. This way, you will get to see how different people interact with the app, especially the ones who may have never been in contact with an app like this. Are they able to navigate the app easily and with no problem? Do they know how to locate the important features?

You need to observe how the design of your app influences the users’ experience. Are the colors you used pleasant for their eyes or are they too bright? Does the app layout provide easy navigation and smooth performance? These are all the factors you need to take into consideration when testing the app.

Challenge 2: Putting Pride before Good UX

Every UX designer needs to be ready to accept feedback if he/she wants to create a perfect enterprise app. Knowing how to embrace user feedback is a very important factor when you are designing a high-performance app for a company. However, receiving feedback is not so easy. It can be quite challenging actually.

If you want to create a successful app, you need to understand your user’s goals, expectations, and pain points. For that reason, you need to perform comprehensive testing with the users so that you can address the issues, locate them and see how you can fix them. This also applies to the situations in which you are creating a high-quality web design or products for any small business.

You need to know that building enterprise is very hard and challenging work. When you pour all your hard work into it only to hear someone say it is not right it can feel very discouraging and you might feel down after it. You might even feel like the issue that is being pointed out is not that big of a problem, especially if the users can find a quick and easy way to work around it. What’s the big deal, right?

Well, unfortunately, that can cost you a lot. If you choose to ignore the issue that is being pointed out to you, no matter how small and irrelevant it seems to you, you are putting your own pride above the quality of the app. You should never let that happen.

How can you fix this issue?

You need to be fully aware of the fact that creating a high-quality enterprise app is an ongoing effort. You simply can’t get it right in the first try. It’s impossible. For that reason, you need to make the communication amongst the team members transparent and honest. Someone else might be able to see the situation from a different angle and therefore point out a mistake you didn’t even notice yourself.

Try to incorporate a lean approach to UX design. This allows you to have real-time feedback and it will help you adapt any needed changes that will improve the product. Lastly, remember that if your users are struggling with the app in any way, you have room for improvement. Try to look at it optimistically. Look at it as an opportunity to discover better ways to create the app.

Challenge 3: Getting Stuck With a Legacy System

Lastly, one of the biggest challenges is getting stuck with a legacy system while designing a UX enterprise. Sometimes, it is better to start from scratch when developing software. However, it is not the most ideal approach you can take. That is why the designers need to work on the legacy systems that have been set in place ages ago.

U huge number of enterprises get stuck with this outdated legacy system and end up having to use applications that are technical barriers for creating an improved and modern UX design. These legacy systems were created before the UX was even considered important and they are very outdated. So, if you end up having to work with these systems, you need to find an effective way to work around them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when you’re designing an enterprise app there are tons of things you need to take into account. The app needs to be high-performance. The design needs to be soothing to the eye. You need to take the feedback of your users into account and test the performance of the app. There are certain challenges that you will come across like these three most prominent ones. You need to be able to detect the issue and learn how to work around it. That way, you will be able to create a user-friendly app that works great and that is worth being invested in.