How do you define the usability of an HR technology? Most people who have been through the RFP (request for proposal) process have felt the pain of selecting software based on functionality alone. We all want to have an application that does 100% of what we need it to do. Unfortunately, we often forget to understand the usability component of application design. I’d like to hypothesize that the probability of successful technology change hinges on usability rather than functionality.
What’s functionality? Basically it’s simply the ability of an application to accommodate data fields and processes. If you need a learning system, functionality includes the training course data fields as well as the enrollment processes into those courses.
What’s usability? It’s the ability of an application to absorb “click fatigue” and present a user interface that is simple and intuitive to use. Rather than making a user navigate between layers and layers of hierarchical menus, a person should be able to get to their destination in as few as two mouse clicks. The metaphor to click fatigue would be the automated phone system of your credit card company and having to enter 50 combinations of data before getting to talk to an operator. User interface is slightly different. One way to limit click fatigue is to place lots of data on a single screen. The problem with this is the user is so inundated with data that the screen becomes overwhelming and difficult to use. Usability generally is increased by navigation to reasonably sized summary screens with links from that screen into other related areas of functionality.
Why is usability more important than functionality? I’m definitely not saying that functionality takes second spot. However, poorly designed UI will dismantle the best constructed functionality – if people can’t figure out how to use the system, they won’t. Usability carries to all levels, the core application, manager and employee self service. Possibly the most critical areas are in self service. Practitioners and administrators have to use the system. However, managers and employees almost always have a way out – they can revert back to paper forms or call the HR service center.
Next time you’re looking at a system, make sure that you’re scoring the usability while you’re scoring the functionality. What you can do with the application is NOT more important than ensuring high levels of adoption in the user population.
In part 2, I compare the usability of point solutions to ERP solutions
It’s all about the user – Part 1
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7 responses to “It’s all about the user – Part 1”
systematicHR – Human Resources Strategy and Human Resources Technology » Blog Archive » It’s all about the user – Part 1 Doesn’t matter how great your tool is if nobody uses it
I couldn’t agree more that usability should be important to the decision process.
But studies have shown very specifically that one of the biggest problems experienced in the HRMS space is the overwhelming incidence of “shelfware.” Indeed, the 2003 TCO study which I conducted while at PwC showed us that while the majority of over 160 companies surveyed (with > 1,000 employees) owned key HRMS modules, over half of them had not yet deployed the modules.
The instance of “owned but not deployed” was prevalent among these modules:
– Recruitment
– Employee Self Service
– Performance Management
– Manager Self Service
– Health and safety management
– Competency and Career development
What I found was that there are 4 “core” modules which are predominantly used:
– Core HR Information
– Base Benefits
– Compensation
– Compliance and Regulatory Reporting
So companies are paying for, but not deploying significant portions of the HRMS suite. The result is that the efficiencies, cost savings and risk management originally sought, is never actually achieved for over half the companies who set out on the path.The ROI of the original business case can never be attained in this environment.
The evaluation of usability of a system on the front end won’t solve this. Realistically, companies don’t achieve the vision because they run out of funds for the projects before they are finished.
A dose of reality needs to be injected into the process. Cost over runs are common, time delays rampant, and upgrade activity often ends up taking priority over initial deployment of many modules. Here again, the study showed that companies experience upgrades an average of every 18 months. More than a few companies needed upgrades in the year of implementation!
So bottom line? Maybe the real key is to look as ease of implementation, and likelihood of success as critical to the decision making process. This will also make the prospect of hosted systems or out right outsourcing more competitive and attractive in many cases.
Dubs,
I couldn’t agree more. Usability is something we talk a lot about internally at SuccessFactors. We’ve all used applications that are feature rich (or feature bloated) but unusable like some well-known desktop software products.
This is arguably MORE important for an employee-facing HR application becuase user adoption is driven in large part by how little time people have to spend figuring the things out.
If, as a user, I can get done what I need to do in a short period of time and get back to my job, I’m happy. If I’ve got to read the help and call for support, I simply wont be as willing to come back to the system in the future.
Usability, AKA ease-of-use, is a make or break consideration for HR applications. Period. You’ve hit the nail on the head.
Max: I love the usability of the current top tier talent management suites out there these days. SF is definitly one of the great ones, and there has been a lot of hiring of UI programmers at other vendors in the last 12 months
Functionlaity is wonderful, but usability is what determines high or low adoption. In today’s world of deployed self service processing, usability and adoption is everything.
Donald:
Perhaps we can collaborate on a “shelfware” series? I agree that’s a huge TCO problem.
Any time, Dubs.
From my perspective, it doesn’t mater what it can do, or how easy it is to use for the more than 50% of the companies that never implement it.
For the ones that do,ease of use should almost always trump functionality.
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