It has always been the thought that technology is supposed to help us do more, and do it better and faster than before. Unfortunately the theory and the reality are often far apart. That is why we have telling sayings such as “To err is human, but it takes a computer to really screw things up.”
In my opinion, nowhere is the gap between theory and reality more noticeable than in enterprise business software: it is usually very complex, unfriendly and hard to use. It often takes a whole team of consultants, and then implementation specialists, to come and get things working to then enable use of the new technology.
Fortunately this problem has been recognized, especially in consumer technology, and the trend lately is toward keeping things simple and intuitive. Look at the way technology titans Apple, Google, and Amazon all compete for the sleekest design and most user-friendly interface. The good news is that enterprise level software is following suit and (slowly) adapting to make technology use easier for people like you and me. While things with enterprise technology are getting better, the technologies that improve the fastest are those that drive the margins in business on the sales and marketing side. Change generally comes slower to other areas of business (like development, accounting, or audit for example) and there are a large group of underserved users.
At Oversight Systems we constantly ask ourselves, “How can we make it easier for our clients to make a positive difference in their organizations?” This is what we reply: Keep it simple. Focus on the user. Provide beauty, simplicity and function. Provide the Insights needed, when they are needed, and provide them in a clear and plain manner.
Our mantra is that you don’t need a “data scientist” to use our tool, and we strive hard to make this true. Our dashboards are made to be user friendly even for those who don’t dabble in analytics. Such statements are not mere sayings or mottos, but our true focus and our mission.
In a world where life seems to become increasingly more and more complex and everyone is overloaded with information from every side, technology is becoming prettier and easier to use. It is time for enterprise software to also beautify and simplify itself.
