Most businesses now recognize the value of using innovative tools and methods to improve outcomes and sustain long-term growth. Unfortunately, the promise of technology enablement often lures otherwise well-intentioned people into false assumptions. For instance, some leaders implement inappropriate solutions, which can precipitate new problems and/or exacerbate the existing ones.
Others choose the right solution but fail to implement it appropriately. Then there are those who select the right solution and implement it well only to encounter widespread user rejection due to inadequate motivation. Suffice it to say that going digital isn’t an easy undertaking. Few things that involve humans are likely to be simple.
The complexity really shouldn’t be underestimated. Thomas Davenport and George Westerman at the Harvard Business Review published an article earlier this year drawing attention why so many high-profile digital transformations fail. The authors begin by introducing readers to General Electric (GE), which embarked upon a massive effort to digitize its product and services. GE went all in.
The company embedded sensors into its products built an integrated Internet of Things (IoT) platform and transformed business models for its industrial offerings. While the endeavor was largely praised for its ambitious scale, it had a negligible impact on the overall business performance. In other words, it was all for naught.
Digital transformations aren’t purely a subject of scholastic debate. Inc. contributor, Brian de Haaff, who is also the co-founder and CEO of Aha!, also spent time explaining why digital transformations decline. “Many transformations are failing because people do not understand why the organization needs to change in the first place,” according to him.
“Transformation initiatives are only successful if there is a clear directive centered around delivering exceptional customer experiences.” He then described four major considerations imperative to that delivery: (1) know why, (2) know what, (3) know when, and (4) know how. Though it seems deceivingly simple, focusing exclusively on the customer is, in fact, an extraordinarily sound strategy.
Look no further than industry best practices in product design and development where there is a strong emphasis on the end user. We’re not talking speculation, either. Decisions must be informed by data. Soliciting user feedback is the first directive proposed by Michelle Goodman at Entrepreneur, who shared seven steps of effective product development.
Embracing extracted user insights makes it much easier to avoid wasting time and resources on undesirable elements and/or experiences. That could mean the difference between implementing feature flags for developers or indexing improvements for end users who rely heavily on search. Either way, the decision should not be made in a vacuum.
Starting with the customer in mind obviously critical, but similar to digital transformation, successful products depend on a lot more than that. Staff writers at the Interaction Design Foundation did everyone the favor of releasing an overview of factors that contribute to successful product development.
They have done a superb job of outlining variables well outside user experience and design. Noteworthy examples include everything from internal knowledge management and the development process to the technologies utilized and the level of support offered by leadership.
Some companies have clearly made the mistake of underestimating the impact of technology enablement and integration. Nothing that complex happens overnight. Readers ought to now appreciate exactly how challenging it is for businesses and other organizations.
Those cited above have threaded a relatively consistent theme despite accounting for very nuanced topics. All of them in some way, shape, or form, at least allude to the centrality of having a proper mindset. Expecting technology to solve problems and deliver results without meaningful input is a recipe for disaster.
