Can Hurt Business Productivity
Ways Poor UX and UI
3
Looks Matter:
Experience Pure Joy
So, What Makes a Great UI?
The Bottom-Line Impact of Poor UI and UX
The Productivity Connection
Wait… UX and UI are different things?
Introduction
Was the entire journey seamless — even enjoyable?
Could you access all the features you wanted to?
Were you able to find all the information you were looking for?
Think about the last time you logged into your email, visited a social network or downloaded a new mobile app.
When you answer these questions, you define your experience with a product, platform and brand. And how you answer these questions reaffirms how innate, yet incredibly important, a stellar user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) is.
Wait… UX and UI Are Different Things?
interaction with the company, its services and its products.”
“User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s
Yes! While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they're very different things. Don Norman, cognitive scientist and former VP of the Advanced Technology Group, Apple, coined the term user experience (UX). His definition:
Can your technology support your users every step of the way — no matter where they are and what devices they’re using?
It may seem like a “chicken-or-egg” type puzzle but it’s easy as this: UI has a definitive impact on the user experience (UX) that every person in your company has with the technology you implement. This is especially true for meeting and collaboration tools, which are used by employees all over the world and in many different work scenarios.
Put simply, UX is what someone feels when they interact with a solution, platform or device. Meanwhile, the user interface (UI), encompasses all of the visual elements you use to interact with a solution, platform or device. This includes everything from screens to pages — even the buttons and icons you click.
75 percent of employers in EMEA, NA and APAC say telecommuting is viewed more positively and is more widely adopted in their workplace.
(PGi)
5
72 percent of people have used their personal mobile devices for work purposes.
(HighFive)
4
25 percent of business leaders say more than three-quarters of their employees will not work in a traditional office by 2020.
(London Business School)
3.7 million employees worldwide now work from home at least half the time.
(GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com)
2
60 percent of employees consult with at least 10 colleagues each day to get their jobs done.
(CEB)
1
Here are some fast facts:
The reality is, we’re in the midst of a major work movement.
Still unsure how UX and UI impact employee satisfaction and productivity?
They expect the same quality collaboration that they get in the office. Moreover, they expect to maintain, or even exceed, their typical productivity levels. Virtual meeting platforms have gone to market promising this — and more.
People are working in different places and using different devices, but that doesn’t mean their work environment and productivity standards have changed.
Theoretically, the combination of video and audio conferencing, screen sharing and chat are enough to position your people for success. Teams can collaborate with colleagues in real time and connect with clients seamlessly — no matter where they are.
But UI flaws loom, hindering or completely halting teams before they can hit their productivity stride.
How many times have you heard or said the following?
“Can you see my screen?”
“I can’t find the chat button.”
“Are you on mute? Hello?”
“How do I chat the presenter?”
“My video isn’t working.”
“We can’t hear you. Did we lose you?”
“I heard a beep. Who just joined?”
“I can’t see everything on my phone.”
“I can’t present. Can you give me control?”
“Can you all hear me?”
What does this mean for the IT team and management? You will likely see poor adoption and, in turn, a poor ROI.
There is likely a laundry list of other statements and questions — some including more colorful language — that illustrate your teams’ frustrations. These frustrations stem from the poor UI of some meeting tools and platforms, and they all play a part in the UX.
60%
year-over-year reduction in expenses
3X
productivity gains for remote and off-site workers
23%
improvement in time-to- market
42%
more likely to see productivity gains versus those not using video conferencing
(Aberdeen)
Many analyst groups have calculated the ROI of video conferencing. Companies using these tools can see a number of perks, including:
Dollars and Cents: The Bottom-Line Impact of Poor UI and UX
Inefficiency
39 percent say technology makes it difficult or time-consuming for employees to access business data and applications without IT help.
Wasted time
38 percent say technology doesn’t allow employees to work and exploit information at speed due to slow hardware, software and networking technologies.
Hindered productivity
Nearly 40 percent of CIOs and IT professionals say their systems make it harder, not easier, for employees to work quickly.
39 percent say technology makes it difficult or time-consuming for employees to access business data and applications without IT help
38 percent say technology doesn’t allow employees to work and exploit information at speed due to slow hardware, software and networking technologies
But a poor UI and UX can lead to a lot of headaches in digital collaboration, including:
(Harvard Business Review)
Click through to learn more about what to look for in a video conferencing solution:
Pure Joy
+ Beautiful Design =
+ Findable and Usable
Relevant Features
The design process is equal parts logical and emotional. Designers and developers must think about users’ behaviors and what they innately want or expect from a solution. Even in the case of video conferencing, there is a basic equation that all companies should follow:
It Isn’t an Eyesore
Using the Platform Isn’t a Headache
Context Is King
Everything You NeeD Right at Your Fingertips
Case study:
The new design elements of GlobalMeet include illustrations, animations, photography and sound to create an enjoyable experience. These subtle additions make meetings and collaborative sessions more personal and fun.
Delightful Visuals Make Meetings More Memorable
More than ever, people also look for familiarity in technology. Even in a business environment, people gravitate to tools and apps that are not only easy-to-use, but look like the apps they use in their day-to-day lives. Emojis, star-based ratings, fun animations and other elements remind them of the experiences they have in their personal and social lives, which ultimately makes their work experiences — whether it’s in a meeting with a client or in a collaborative session with colleagues — more enjoyable. These elements elicit positive emotional responses, which leads to stronger bonds with (and higher adoption of) products.
For example, a sales rep holding a prospect meeting wants to ensure that he and the entire company are represented in the best way possible. That first meeting sets the precedent for the relationship, and an unprofessional-looking platform can paint the business in a negative light.
Aesthetics are what bring UI components to life. From brand colors to imagery and layout, these design elements help bring the interface to the next level, making the experience memorable and delightful for everyone.
By moving the search bar below the “My Meeting Info” widget and adding a tutorial tip, discovery time dropped to 4 seconds.
However, not all elements were a home run. User testing helped the team iterate and improve the design — especially the placement of the search bar. Previously, the average discovery time of the search bar was 11.4 seconds. Through ongoing, iterative user testing, the team made small changes until it achieved the results it wanted.
When updating GlobalMeet, the design and product development team wanted to ensure that desktop app users were able to join meetings quickly and easily. All users who tested it were able to start their own meeting or join another person’s meeting in approximately two seconds. They also no longer had to download and run extensions to join a meeting, which removed a lot of time and effort from the process.
With UX, Small Touches Make a Big Difference
Usable: Users can effectively and efficiently achieve their end objective with a product.
Findable: Product features must be easy to find.
A best-in-class UI, however, helps ensure that all critical features are findable and usable.
This is where technology can make things easier. But even if a platform has all the features and functionality your users need, it doesn’t mean a thing if people can’t find what they’re looking for. Employees waste time looking for much-needed functions such as recording and chat, and then must turn to the IT team with questions and complaints. The end result? IT’s precious time and energy is taken away from innovative, long-term initiatives that impact the future of the business.
65 percent
said meetings keep them from completing their own work.
71 percent
said meetings are unproductive and inefficient, and
Consider this: A survey of 182 senior managers across industries found that …
Meetings have become a mainstay in organizations of all sizes and across geographic locations. In fact, the length and frequency of meetings have increased significantly over the past 50 years, with the average executive spending almost 23 hours per week in them.
Of course, meetings aren’t going away. But the way meetings are conducted can certainly improve.
100 percent of testers were able to navigate the tabs and commented on the app’s ease of use.
As a result, they focused on making all UI elements larger and more readable, especially the audio control buttons, and creating a simplified, three-tab design so users can quickly tap to the functions they need.
Through this research, the GlobalMeet design and product development teams discovered that people primarily used their smartphones to log into meetings while driving in the car. They also used their smartphones as their primary at-home meeting device so they could easily multi-task, like doing home chores, for instance.
The goal: to understand when and why people used mobile apps while working, and more importantly, which features were most important.
To optimize the mobile UX, the GlobalMeet product design team executed user surveys and conducted extensive user testing.
®
GlobalMeet Tailors UI to Mobile Behaviors
Is the UI customized to the devices people are using in that moment? With 44 percent of people saying they prefer to use their smartphones for unified communication and collaboration services, and 72 percent of people using their personal mobile device for work reasons, the mobile experience is something IT decision-makers can’t afford to ignore. They must ensure that mobile apps are seamless and easy to use. If a person is using their smartphone to log into a meeting, are they able to do this easily? Do they have quick and easy access to the functions that are most relevant to them?
Another thing to consider is context — where, when and how team members are using the platform.
Record meeting
Exit meeting
Settings
Private chat
Add participant
Webcam controls
Mute all
Microphone controls
Screen share
Currently speaking
Help/Support Edit profile Polling Mode toggle View toggle
Also included:
Hover for features!
What features are must-haves or non-negotiables?
Who will they be meeting and collaborating with?
What will they be using the tool for?
When assessing your current video and web conferencing tool, or researching new ones, do a quick gut check to determine the features and capabilities that matter most to your employees.
You Have Everything You Need … Right at Your Fingertips
After all, you don’t want to invest in a solution that doesn’t serve its purpose or is only used for a fraction of the tasks you purchased it for. Moreover, features should be easy to access. You don’t want employees spending precious time digging for tools and information when they could be working, collaborating with colleagues or meeting with clients.
A great UX should leave your people thinking: “It’s like they were reading my mind.” The technology they use on a day-to-day basis should have all the features and capabilities they could possibly need.
TRY GLOBALMEET
Not sure where to start? PGi has the process, structure and culture to create these seamless and beautiful experiences for all users. See the GlobalMeet difference. Experience the UI and UX yourself by signing up for a free GlobalMeet trial today.
When you research and assess business applications, you should pay close attention to UI and UX. They should align with your employees’ innermost wants, needs and preferences, and they should empower your people to be as productive as possible.
Being aesthetically pleasing
Aligning with the behaviors and preferences of your teams
Addressing employee’s daily pain points
Experience Pure Joy Your employees, and humans in general, are creatures of logic and emotion. The technology you implement in your business should speak to both sides by:
