Where should you innovate in application design? - Part I

Posted by Paul Giurata

I recently had a discussion with a colleague about where to innovate when designing an application or SaaS.  He was pitching a new client that kept repeating how they wanted an innovative design. But they defined innovative as a revolutionary new way for people to think about task X, with a dazzling Flash interface full of bells and whistles.  

The problem he faced (and something every user interface design firm encounters) was whether he should tell the clients what would create the best application or if should he just deliver what they said they wanted. He chose to advise them to do what would be most effective to increase user productivity and application usage - i.e. build the application around universal (not revolutionary) conceptual models and implement a UI that uses effects & interaction as a way to reinforce appropriate behaviors rather than just “dazzle.”   We will see if he gets the contract.

In any case, it got me thinking that it would be intereting to write about where innovation really matters and where it really should come in to play when defining a application. 

Consumer applications lead in innovation

It’s instructive that last week, during the Cloud Computing panel at the Web 2.0 Summit, Google’s Dave Girouard (manager for Google’s enterprise business) talked about how the innovation delivered in the consumer world is so far ahead of what is available in the world of enterprise applications. Girouard was not talking innovation in terms of new functionality, razzle-dazzle,  or new technologies. By innovation he specifically was referring to enhanced user experience that makes it easier for users to accomplish high value scenarios and that drives increased usage.

Application designs are built in layers

When you evaluate any application, you see the design is built on several layers. Each of these layers represents a point where there is the potential for innovation. But there are some layers where the business value to innovate is more compelling than at others.  This is particularly true for SaaS application design, where the value of innovation is defined primarily on the ability to increase the usage and adoption of the solution by customers (new or existing).

In next week’s post I will describe the business proposition for innovation at each layer.