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 2011 2011-11-15T15:30:24+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/principles_of_design_for_climate_change_energy_adaption_applications_-_part/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/principles_of_design_for_climate_change_energy_adaption_applications_-_part/ For part II of my post on energy management, I want to give a sampling of key principals that are needed for the design of climate change energy adaptation applications, particularly when delivered as SaaS or mobile. These principles are just a few of the best practices we have developed from work on just under 400 applications (desktop, web/SaaS, and mobile). SaaS, Sustainability, User Experience 2011-11-15T15:30:24+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/user_experience_design_for_demand_response_energy_management_bim/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/user_experience_design_for_demand_response_energy_management_bim/ Venture capitalists here in Silicon Valley are shifting their clean technology investment strategy. They're focusing less on new innovative clean energy technologies and more on ideas that could have a faster payoff but a smaller impact, such as software for monitoring and reducing energy consumption or demand response management systems that enable commercial/industrial clients to manage load and maintain economic control. We design the user experience and application interfaces that make it intuitive, engaging, informative and compelling to use and audit these tools. SaaS, Sustainability, User Experience 2011-11-08T17:23:54+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/aec_cad_and_bim_collaboration_design_for_saas_mobile/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/aec_cad_and_bim_collaboration_design_for_saas_mobile/ One of my team members is very involved with software vendors in AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction), CAD (Computer Aided Design), BIM (Building Information Management) and PLM (project lifecycle management).  He sees collaboration and document management using software-as-a-service (SaaS) and mobile as playing an increasingly important role in these markets. Based on some of our recent projects and a growing number of inquires, I have to agree. Success will be based on delivering a great user experience anywhere, anytime, on any device. SaaS, User Experience 2011-08-09T15:50:10+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/user_experience_key_to_successful_sustainability_and_energy_management_solu/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/user_experience_key_to_successful_sustainability_and_energy_management_solu/ At Catalyst we have completed several SaaS projects in fuel management, carbon accounting and energy management so a colleague wanted to get our thoughts on why the luster seems to have dulled for the energy and environmental management industry that looked so bright and rapidly growing only a year ago. SaaS, Sustainability, User Experience 2011-08-03T14:26:47+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_design_principle_3_dont_just_port/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_design_principle_3_dont_just_port/ Porting an existing on-premise software application to SaaS point-by-point is a recipe for failure. But it will be a slow, lingering death. You will burn through a lot more money then what you really needed to spend. It will take a lot longer than was necessary to get to market. And most importantly, you will end up with software that is far too complex for a SaaS implementation and that customers simply will not use. SaaS 2011-06-21T13:17:07+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_design_principle_2_design_saas_to_manage_the_full_customer_lifecycle_u/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_design_principle_2_design_saas_to_manage_the_full_customer_lifecycle_u/ Migrating an application to SaaS (Software as a Service) means rethinking and redesigning the software in several fundamental ways including changing the hosting model from single to multi-tenant, the business model from perpetual license to subscriptions and the update cycle from years to months. But in our experience having designed over 60 SaaS applications, one of the most significant changes is in the management of the customer life cycle. Customer life cycle refers to the full progression of steps a customer goes through when exploring, purchasing, using, getting support and upgrading a product or service. With SaaS you build some or all of these steps directly into the software. This is a dramatic shift in software design but is essential to meet modern user expectations as well as achieve scalability and profitability. Let me detail this out further. SaaS, User Experience 2011-06-08T07:57:14+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_design_principle_use_modular_design_to_enable_upsell_and_upgradability/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_design_principle_use_modular_design_to_enable_upsell_and_upgradability/ With SaaS you want to be able to break your functionality into modular pieces that can be sold separately. These become separate profit streams that sum to more than the profit from a single SaaS product delivered at a single price. A second purpose for SaaS modular design is simplicity. If there are pieces of functionality that customers don't want, then you don't want them to have to deal with it. A third reason for modular design is ease and speed of new releases. SaaS, Resuable UI 2011-05-31T11:54:51+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_are_common_pain_points_in_saas_application_design/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_are_common_pain_points_in_saas_application_design/ We've been running a study with our recent clients as well as new prospects who were migrating to or already in-market with SaaS product. We asked the VP of Development or CIO to rate their software application on 36 SaaS application and UI design pain points and to identify where they were in their product development cycle. SaaS 2011-04-18T11:00:39+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/8_design_risks_that_can_derail_your_enterprise_application_project/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/8_design_risks_that_can_derail_your_enterprise_application_project/ Catalyst Resources' work on over 350 SaaS and enterprisl application design projects has identified common design risks, that if not planned for and mitigated, could derail the successful delivery of any business-critical software or enterprise cloud computing project. SaaS 2011-02-28T09:39:13+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/why_have_most_people_decided_that_its_ok_if_pc_apps_are_difficult_to_work_w/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/why_have_most_people_decided_that_its_ok_if_pc_apps_are_difficult_to_work_w/ Today while taking a quick break over lunch to peruse my RSS feeds, I read this entertaining and informative post which asks the question: Why does it take the introduction of an iPad, an Android tablet, or some other new device for a company to worry about the basics of creating apps that are usable and effective? Why have most people decided that it’s OK if PC apps are difficult to work with? User Experience 2011-02-25T14:35:14+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/application_redesign_in_insurance_and_banking_-_augment_or_replace/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/application_redesign_in_insurance_and_banking_-_augment_or_replace/ Many financial services firms, particularly insurance and banking, have made significant investments in legacy software/hardware and are risk adverse to moving to Rich Internet Applications and cloud application services for reasons of security and performance. Rather than wholesale replacement of existing applications, a more manageable and risk aware approach is to design new RIAs that augment what is already in place. SaaS, Financial Services, RIA 2011-01-21T14:10:38+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/mitigating_risk_in_saas_and_application_design_projects/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/mitigating_risk_in_saas_and_application_design_projects/ If you are a senior executive responsible for delivering a SaaS software solution or mission critical application, the odds are against you that you will achieve an unconditional success. Most projects face challenges not because of technical mistakes, but rather from failures to identify risk and implement best practices to improve the quality and agility of application design decisions. SaaS, User Experience 2010-10-18T11:06:44+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_the_cloud_and_the_future/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/saas_the_cloud_and_the_future/ There is a lot of confusion and FUD around the meaning of cloud computing, cloud applications and SaaS. It's understandable given all of the acronyms (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS) and the fact that many "experts" and marketing types are simply using cloud buzzwords as a way to freshen their message. Here are some simple definitions, how user experience fits in, and where SaaS is headed. SaaS 2010-09-22T09:48:16+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/building_consensus_around_saas_functionality_and_design/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/building_consensus_around_saas_functionality_and_design/ Personas are a tool we use in SaaS design to remove bias, build consensus, identify functionality/design opportunities, and tailor the SaaS environment to various segments to improve productivity and enable faster, more agile business processes and cycles. SaaS, User Experience 2010-08-26T09:57:13+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/html5_in_2010_-_think_the_design_of_mobile_apps/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/html5_in_2010_-_think_the_design_of_mobile_apps/ Undoubtedly you have heard about the great RIA war raging between Apple and Adobe. Apple claims that HTML5 is all you need and Flash has no future. Adobe shoots back that Flash is the best choice today and claims that it will remain relevant 3-5 years from now. So how do we make sense of this brouhaha as it relates to our own work designing SaaS and Rich Internet Applications for the Enterprise? Mobile, RIA 2010-08-05T12:54:09+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/the_drivers_behind_organizational_sustainability_initiatives/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/the_drivers_behind_organizational_sustainability_initiatives/ When it comes to sustainability "Doing the right thing for the planet" is laudable on its own. But from a business perspective there needs to be other monetary, social and legal drivers to motivate action and for initiatives to succeed over the long term. What are the some of the common drivers behind organizational sustainability initiatives? Sustainability 2010-07-01T13:01:26+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/music_and_mobile_ui_design_both_evolve_to_fit_the_context/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/music_and_mobile_ui_design_both_evolve_to_fit_the_context/ David Bryne (Talking Heads) recently described how artists evolve styles of music that works for the environment in which it will be heard. This should also be true for UI design. Good mobile application is not just about creating simpler and more streamlined interfaces of desktop applications, it is about understanding how the context changes what makes for effective activities and designing for the limitations and unique opportunities enabled by the device. SaaS, Mobile, User Experience 2010-06-16T13:38:33+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/intellectual_property_vs_recurring_revenue_why_user_experience_matters_so_m/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/intellectual_property_vs_recurring_revenue_why_user_experience_matters_so_m/ With on-premise software, profitability is defined by the intellectual property of the code and the value that it can command on a per-seat license. With SaaS, value is defined by the user experience that leads to customer retention and recurring revenue. SaaS, User Experience 2010-06-02T11:49:32+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_are_the_growth_areas_in_application_and_user_interface_design/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_are_the_growth_areas_in_application_and_user_interface_design/ This year Catalyst has seen a significant shift in our areas of focus and the kinds of applications and interfaces we are engaged to develop. Part of this reflects changes in our own areas of interest, particularly our work to support and develop sustainability initiatives. But I believe the shifts also reflect a larger move in the industry itself. SaaS, Gesture & Touch, Biotech & Healthcare, Instrument Control, Mobile, Sustainability, User Experience 2010-05-19T15:22:06+00:00 http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_makes_catalyst_resources_tick/ http://www.catalystresources.com/saas-blog/what_makes_catalyst_resources_tick/ I was thinking about Catalyst Resources and the way that we describe what we do. Sure we design Rich Internet Applications and efficient, aesthetic interfaces. We even target this by focusing on mission critical applications and modular, reusable UI. But this 'what' is not the motivator that actually makes us wake up every morning and go to work. That is not the 'why' we do what we do. What is in our DNA as a company, is a belief that we can make the world better, one application at a time. RIA, User Experience 2010-05-13T16:06:30+00:00