http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/ Strategy and design topics covering the two clear trends in the enterprise software industry today: the movement of on-premise applications to online Software as a Service (SaaS) and the use of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) to deliver these "on demand" applications to end-users. en media [at] catalystresources.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-08T11:19:45+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/does_perceived_performance_really_impact_the_bottom_line_for_web_apps/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/does_perceived_performance_really_impact_the_bottom_line_for_web_apps/ What are the best practices in perceived performance for web applications that improve the user experience as well as a company's bottom line? Do small changes in perceived performance really make a quantifiable difference? RIA, User Experience 2010-03-08T11:19:45+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/will_technology_solve_our_sustainability_issues/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/will_technology_solve_our_sustainability_issues/ Cleantech will struggle to compete head-on against incumbents in established markets. It will take time to take root and become widespread. So I see the need for a parallel sustainability track focused on using software and hardware to optimize and manage existing energy and waste/resource management technology. But for sustainability software applications to succeed we need to innovate with user experience. RIA, Sustainability, User Experience 2010-02-22T11:17:55+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/healthcare_saas_-_where_to_start/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/healthcare_saas_-_where_to_start/ Most of the pundits for health care IT concur that a move to electronic records and in particular, a move to a SaaS, will significantly benefit insurance companies, hospitals, and physicians. But how and where does a company start in developing a SaaS solution? How do you undertake the project without creating a bloated, interminably delayed IT nightmare. SaaS, Healthcare 2010-02-11T09:49:31+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas-based_energy_and_environmental_optimization_will_be_high_growth/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas-based_energy_and_environmental_optimization_will_be_high_growth/ I've been meeting with many VC firms, investors, and industry leaders in the Valley and it is readily apparent to me that sustainability is a topic on everyone's mind and and a business opportunity on which many startups and established players will focus over the next 5-10 years. Energy and environmental optimization will become a massive industry beginning in 2010. SaaS and user experience will play a central role in making sustainability applications successful. SaaS, Sustainability, User Experience 2010-01-22T10:19:53+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_and_the_shift_to_real-time_in_the_enterprise/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_and_the_shift_to_real-time_in_the_enterprise/ Increasingly, the driving force behind our clients wanting to move their business to a Software-as-a-Service model and using Rich Internet Applications, is the need to interact with customers and/or data in real-time, and to respond quickly to competitive opportunities or threats. SaaS 2009-12-11T12:23:27+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/rich_internet_application_agnosticism/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/rich_internet_application_agnosticism/ Clients often ask which Rich Internet Application development tool they should choose - Flex, Silverlight, or an AJAX framework. While there are no hard and fast rules for selecting one technology over the other, there are some rules of thumb. RIA 2009-11-17T16:32:16+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/reusable_ui_as_a_transition_strategy_for_legacy_systems/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/reusable_ui_as_a_transition_strategy_for_legacy_systems/ While many of our engagements are focused on full-scale redesign projects or new venture capital-back startups, another large segment of our work is devoted to retooling projects where companies need to migrate legacy applications to SaaS or Rich Internet Applications. Here, reusable UI design systems can play an especially significant role in streamlining redevelopment cycles and shortening implementation windows. Resuable UI 2009-10-26T09:12:20+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/going_global_is_the_impetus_for_rias_in_financial_services/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/going_global_is_the_impetus_for_rias_in_financial_services/ The financial services industry is undergoing a significant transformation in how applications are designed and delivered. A key driving force behind this shift is the growing imperative to be global both in terms of providing customer-facing services and in taking advantage of a distributed global workforce. Financial Services 2009-09-28T15:40:58+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/case_studies/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/case_studies/ You may have noticed that CatalystReources.com has added a new Case Studies and Clients section. Our purpose for adding these sections is to give visitors a quick visual sampling of the types of projects and clients we have worked with. User Experience 2009-09-09T21:02:00+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/reusable_ui_harder_than_it_looks/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/reusable_ui_harder_than_it_looks/ Building modular, reusable user interface components is different from building custom application UI. Reusability however, although easy in concept, is not easy in practice. Each UI component needs to work as an independent (but cooperative) 'machine' with a distinct role or responsibility. Resuable UI 2009-08-27T14:10:41+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/connectedness_as_a_sustainable_value_proposition_of_saas/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/connectedness_as_a_sustainable_value_proposition_of_saas/ While many SaaS services like to explain the value of their SaaS in terms of features (it does X) or cost saving (it is cheaper than on-premise), reality is that these 'value propositions' position your service as a commodity. It is inevitable that a new SaaS firm will end up beating you at your own game (price and features). An alternative value proposition is to design the SaaS to incorporate your entire extended enterprise into the business process - your customers, partners, and suppliers. SaaS 2009-08-11T12:00:25+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/for_saas_the_user_interface_is_the_brand/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/for_saas_the_user_interface_is_the_brand/ Last week it was announced that Amazon has purchased the hot e-commerce up-and-comer Zappos. Among the many things I found interesting about this announcement was how I didn't associate any kind of logo or visual identity with either company. The brand that defines these online companies are not the visuals that the typical interactive design firm spends so much time developing. The brand for these web companies is the interface and user experience. SaaS 2009-07-27T13:06:05+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/monitoring_on_boarding_and_the_first_60_days_for_new_saas_users/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/monitoring_on_boarding_and_the_first_60_days_for_new_saas_users/ Effective on-boarding is critical in terms of determining the tenure and profitability of a SaaS customer relationship. The challenge for SaaS vendors is to immediately gain and leverage an early understanding of new customers behavior and then drive relevant communications to facilitate both immediate on-boarding and continued engaged use for the first 60 days. Monitoring at the user experience level is an effective way both to to correct drop out points during the first 60 days, improve effectiveness and efficiency for your customers, and quickly determine how to modify your application on a regular cycle to meet user needs, increase sales and up sell, and reduce churn. SaaS, User Experience 2009-07-15T10:00:30+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/a_roadmap_for_saas_that_isnt_pure/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/a_roadmap_for_saas_that_isnt_pure/ Pure on-demand SaaS is not appropriate to all business models. The underlying business value of a piece of software may require unique customer processes, or complex integration tasks that can't be automated. But the steps in the SaaS life cycle framework are still appropriate for developing a roadmap on how to design your SaaS. Examine the touch-points in the life cycle and determine how you design your application to address them - based on your specific business and technological situation. SaaS 2009-06-29T13:18:56+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/turning_saas_buzz_into_an_actionable_roadmap/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/turning_saas_buzz_into_an_actionable_roadmap/ "A Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution is not simply a new way to package and deliver applications. It is a fundamental shift in the relationship between the software service provider and the customer." This is the kind of thing you read all of the time in the IT press or hear from pundits at conferences. By now most senior executives in companies are saying "OK, I understand I have to have a new mindset. But what $@!% does that really mean in terms of how I build my application and my business?" SaaS 2009-06-15T12:54:00+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/changing_application_design_priorities_in_the_financial_services_industry/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/changing_application_design_priorities_in_the_financial_services_industry/ I was reviewing the latest FinTech 100 and noticed that 4 of the top 10 firms are recent or current clients of Catalyst Resources. To be sure, the economic downturn has impacted the financial services sector and almost everyone is aggressively seeking ways to cut costs. However we find that many of these firms are also responding by investing in new applications that improve ROI, manage risk, reduce business process inefficiencies and attract new customers. Financial Services, User Experience 2009-06-05T12:00:54+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_if_you_could_test_drive_saas_application_design_vendors/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_if_you_could_test_drive_saas_application_design_vendors/ Choosing the right application design firm for a mission critical application, is in itself a mission critical decision. If only you could give a potential firm a test drive to learn how they think. SaaS 2009-05-26T12:42:00+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/designing_saas_to_be_viral/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/designing_saas_to_be_viral/ Designing for viral adoption can be particularly relevant to SaaS, where profitability depends on quickly achieving and retaining a critical mass of users. SaaS 2009-05-20T15:24:45+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/user_experience_design_rias_and_saas_as_prescriptions_for_healthcare/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/user_experience_design_rias_and_saas_as_prescriptions_for_healthcare/ It used to be in the healthcare arena, that investment dollars followed the companies searching for the next new breakthrough drug or treatment. Recently however, the opportunities and incentives (i.e. $19 billion) have started to shift to less glamorous products aimed at health care efficiency, and cost-control using SaaS, RIAs and optimized user experience design. SaaS, Healthcare, User Experience 2009-05-08T13:40:41+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/betting_the_farm_on_the_right_cloud_computing_platform/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/betting_the_farm_on_the_right_cloud_computing_platform/ Since choice of infrastructure for your SaaS is as much of a bet-the-farm decision, as designing the right user experience, you need to be diligent in your research. I generally don't advice clients on particular cloud computing platforms since it is ultimately based on your own development resources, estimates of growth and your unique SaaS life-cycle application strategy. However there are some high-level recommendations I can make. SaaS 2009-04-30T17:30:31+00:00