“User-friendly”

Are your systems user-friendly?

Probably yes, for some users. And probably no, for other users.

Truth is, there's no formal definition for “user-friendly.” There’s no universal standard.

It’s akin to asking whether a person is friendly or not. What passes for friendliness in New York City is not the same as in Muleshoe, Texas.

The meaning of “user-friendly” depends on a lot of factors. Who is the user? What do they want? How excited are they to learn new skills to get what they want?

What’s more, any system that’s user-friendly today could always be made more user-friendly tomorrow. How far would you like to take it?

Here's the thing:

Holding yourself to a poorly defined standard won't get you very much benefit.

Instead of asking whether your systems are “user-friendly,” try more specific questions, based on the business goals you’re aiming for:

Can your online donors complete a donation in less than 30 seconds? Can your members renew online without experiencing any error messages?

Defining specific goals, and attaching a real business value to those goals, is where winning happens.

All the best,
A.