The user experience must be at the center of the CIO strategy

Digital transformation Today's CIOs have their work cut out for them. Between maintaining existing IT systems and developing new services, they have their work cut out for them. While remaining available to employees, they operate within a framework constrained by management objectives or a defined budget. In the Build or Run phases, as well as in day-to-day requests, a common thread emerges: that of UX (or user experience). Like a leitmotiv, UX guides the construction of each new brick. In B2C applications, when UX became widespread in the developer community, they became smoother, easier to use and more powerful in order to meet consumers' needs. Employees, on the other hand, do not systematically benefit from high-performance, versatile tools that reflect their profession.

One of the keys to a successful digital transformation is therefore to focus on developing business applications that are applications that are sufficiently mature to optimize the employee experience. The sooner IT departments achieve this, the further they will be able to project their organization into the next world. In this context, the development of user-oriented business applications is a top priority.

The benefits inherent in a better ISD user experience strategy

Why should IT departments develop UX business applications? First and foremost, the fight against the Shadow IT. It's a simple fact: employees use many mobile applications in their daily lives. If what they have access to in their professional sphere doesn't fit with their uses or decreases their productivity, they will turn to other solutions. Even if it means putting the company at risk: non-compliance with the RGPD or a security flaw (as in the case of whatsapp) are real threats for the organization. The IT department can fight against this scourge by building itself a tool that meets expectations.

Improved consideration of the employee experience brings other benefits:

Project or data management processes are becoming automated;
The organization and efficiency of the teams is increased because they save time;
As tasks are completed more easily, the company sees its financial resources better used;
Employees are more satisfied and create a better relationship with their customers;
The CIO acquires greater legitimacy within the company.

Immediate or later, the benefits of a well-planned employee experience spread to all levels of the organization.

We tell you more about the changing needs of CIOs from our Microsoft solutions specialist.

New UX for business applications: impose or co-create?

If the advantages are numerous, so are the obstacles. At the top of the list, we think of :

Naturally higher IT maintenance costs;
However, we keep the time for the old systems since the ROI of the new user path does not appear immediately;
Siloed operations that stop the exchange of information;
End-users' ingrained habits that sometimes speak out against change;
Cybersecurity risks and the fears that will need to be addressed.

Smooth communication with the future users of the applications and a few flexible steps on their part are elements to be validated before implementation.

Discover also how to create an outstanding user experience for a sustainable UX.

Improve the user experience on business applications point by point.

When developing business applications UX centricCIOs are guided by a single mantra: "the application meets users' needs". If they start building their applications with this in mind, they're well on the way to success. In order to prepare themselves as effectively as possible, they can rely on a powerful lever: agile rituals.

Keeping this principle in mind, several steps are necessary to support the implementation of the new business application UX:

Knowing the uses. Map the internal customer experience to highlight key points, such as functional or emotional frictions. For this, there is no substitute for user testing.
Involve stakeholders, especially in the product definition phase. End-users, business and development teams, as well as the IT department must be at the table.
Draw up a style line consistent with the organization's graphic charter. This will facilitate adoption. Variant: rely on APIsation mechanisms mechanisms to create a user-friendly environment.
Lock in cybersecurity. Cyber security must no longer be a hindrance or a threat to your business. Especially when you consider that 4 out of 5 companies have already been victims of cyber-attacks.
Accompany the users to the change. When the business application is available, take the time to present its use and guide its manipulation.

Figures to remember: 82% of employees would like their employer to improve the quality of their digital experience at work. This improvement can take many forms, but creating a better employee experience via BtoE (Business to Employee) applications is one of the keys to success.