User-friendly systems - A must for our customers
The discussion about usability or user-friendliness is constantly relevant. Here at Alfa eCare, we attach great importance to our products being both useful and easily accessible. But what does high usability really mean and how do you create a system that meets these requirements? This article highlights our work with usability and how our products are affected by this focus.
Those who work in care and social care have usually not chosen that profession to work with technology, they want to work with people. This is a fundamental truth in welfare that we as a supplier must respect. We are not experts in how healthcare should be carried out and our technical solutions should not guide professionals in how they should work. A truly useful solution is not just about looking good and easy to navigate. At Alfa eCare, we develop our products according to the watchwords simplicity, recognition and guidance.
Understanding of the needs of the business
Everything starts with an understanding of the business's needs and conditions. As a supplier, we must ask ourselves how our technical solutions can facilitate work without imposing a completely new way of working on users. It is not an easy task and requires some change work. But fundamentally, professional routines and expertise must be leading. The best results are achieved when we have a dialogue and listen to each other's expertise.
Practical solutions for different needs
Next, we have to look at the practical aspect. In welfare, there are few who sit at a fixed office location; most people need fast, simple and smart solutions to be able to move freely and carry out their work unimpeded. It requires adaptations and different solutions to ensure high usability, regardless of whether it concerns a fixed computer with a large screen, a mobile or a tablet.
Logic helps the user do the right thing
Logic is essential. A really good product allows the user to understand the next step without having to think. In a logical system, the user hardly thinks about what he is doing - it just happens to be right. The more complex the system, the more difficult this is to achieve. One can analyze any app to see how button placement, appearance and function affect usability. The user should basically know what will happen before they click.
"Invisible" codes are very important
Color and shape also play an important role in usability. Consider two buttons with a thumbs-up symbol: one green and one red. Which one would you press? This is a simple example of how color and shape influence usage in subtle ways and help the user make the right choice, while also being able to warn or advise against things that require attention. This is particularly important in the health and care sector.
At Alfa eCare, we continue to develop our products with these principles in mind, always with the goal of making technology an invisible, helping hand for those who work with people.
Do you want to know more about how we work with usability in our products or do you perhaps have feedback on how we could be even better in this area. Feel free to contact us via the contact form below.
Those who work in care and social care have usually not chosen that profession to work with technology, they want to work with people. This is a fundamental truth in welfare that we as a supplier must respect. We are not experts in how healthcare should be carried out and our technical solutions should not guide professionals in how they should work. A truly useful solution is not just about looking good and easy to navigate. At Alfa eCare, we develop our products according to the watchwords simplicity, recognition and guidance.
Understanding of the needs of the business
Everything starts with an understanding of the business's needs and conditions. As a supplier, we must ask ourselves how our technical solutions can facilitate work without imposing a completely new way of working on users. It is not an easy task and requires some change work. But fundamentally, professional routines and expertise must be leading. The best results are achieved when we have a dialogue and listen to each other's expertise.
Practical solutions for different needs
Next, we have to look at the practical aspect. In welfare, there are few who sit at a fixed office location; most people need fast, simple and smart solutions to be able to move freely and carry out their work unimpeded. It requires adaptations and different solutions to ensure high usability, regardless of whether it concerns a fixed computer with a large screen, a mobile or a tablet.
Logic helps the user do the right thing
Logic is essential. A really good product allows the user to understand the next step without having to think. In a logical system, the user hardly thinks about what he is doing - it just happens to be right. The more complex the system, the more difficult this is to achieve. One can analyze any app to see how button placement, appearance and function affect usability. The user should basically know what will happen before they click.
"Invisible" codes are very important
Color and shape also play an important role in usability. Consider two buttons with a thumbs-up symbol: one green and one red. Which one would you press? This is a simple example of how color and shape influence usage in subtle ways and help the user make the right choice, while also being able to warn or advise against things that require attention. This is particularly important in the health and care sector.
At Alfa eCare, we continue to develop our products with these principles in mind, always with the goal of making technology an invisible, helping hand for those who work with people.
Do you want to know more about how we work with usability in our products or do you perhaps have feedback on how we could be even better in this area. Feel free to contact us via the contact form below.
