Like any new technology, it always takes some fine-tuning before it really clicks. That is absolutely the case with Salesforce. If you want to get the most out of the system, adopting a human-centered approach to design can make all the difference. Rather than simply making sure it looks and feels good, this process makes sure people actually use Salesforce in the way that it was intended. A challenge for many implementations.
Here are six steps to drive you deep into the human-centered design approach for Salesforce success:
1. Begin with Empathy: Know Your Users
Empathy is important. You can’t design something that truly works if you don’t understand your users. Take the time to get to know Salesforce end users in your organization. Where do they struggle? What are they trying to accomplish? You can find this out by conducting interviews, sending out surveys, or even just observing how they work day to day. From there, create user persona that represent their different needs. By keeping these users front and center, you’ll make better decisions and see higher adoption rates in the long run.
2. Pinpoint the Core Challenges
Once you know who your users are, the next step is figuring out their pain points.
This is where you lay it all out: what’s standing in the way of their success, and how can Salesforce help? It’s when you start to define a problem clearly that you can then become solution-focused on meeting those user needs directly. And keep your mind open—you want to include as much user feedback as possible so that you are solving the right issues.
3. Brainstorm Solutions: Get Creative
Now that you have a proper understanding of the problem, it is time to begin generating ideas on how to solve it. Get your team involved and encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Sometimes, ideas that seem to come out of left field from departments unrelated to your own end up having the most merit. Use activities like Brainstorm or Quick Sketches to keep the ideas flowing.
4. Build Prototypes Quickly
When the ideas are on the table, now it is time to visualize them. But don’t worry. You will not have to create anything final yet. You’ll want to develop low-fidelity prototypes so you can test your ideas with real users. Fortunately, Salesforce’s Developer Edition makes this fairly painless: You can create and adapt models quickly without too much time or resource investment.
5. Roll It Out Gradually
Once you have refined your prototype with information from users, it is time to implement it. But it must not be hurried. Rather, it is to be done on a gradual basis. Rolling out things step by step is a way that enables you to minimize disruptions and iron out any hiccups before they start to become bigger issues.
6. Keep Improving: Iterate and Validate
The thing is, your work doesn’t end when the new system is already up and running. You’ll still have to keep in contact with your users just to make sure everything’s as it should be. Regular feedback sessions and surveys help you catch what has gone out there early so you can refine the solution. Think of this as some kind of big circle, where with each round, feedback will tune Salesforce over and over again to fit user needs.
Why Human-Centered Design is Worth It?
The payoff from taking a human-centered design approach is huge. Studies have shown that companies taking this approach see faster rollout times, lower development costs, and higher user satisfaction. All of the aforementioned adds up to better ROI for your Salesforce implementation.
At CloudFountain, we develop Salesforce solutions that include human-oriented design in order to increase user adoption. Are you prepared to change your experience with Salesforce at CloudFountain? Call us today and let your objectives, such as ours, be achieved.