New release keeps it simple
posted by admin on July 26, 2010It’s taken ten years, but I think with today’s release of the new user interface for our flagship MediaConnect platform, we’ve finally nailed it.
Now, of course I’m horribly biased, but having tested the platform for a good couple of months now, I truly do think its a joy to use. And that’s because with this iteration we had one simple design goal in mind – usability.
Usability has always been an issue for us. Like most applications that focus on managing relationships, we’ve previously modelled ourselves on CRM tools. CRM tools almost always require training, they’re not particularly intuitive and over the years we’ve struggled with how to deliver this. We’ve looked at group training, webinars, videos, in-depth documentation. And then finally it struck us that we had been looking at the problem the wrong way.
Instead of trying to work out how best to provide training, we decided we would be much better served working out how not to provide training. And by that, I don’t mean abandoning our users and shutting down support. Rather, we adopted the attitude that if a feature required training, then it needed re-designing until that wasn’t the case.
If we’ve learned anything from the success of Twitter and Apple it’s that simplicity wins the day. I think that remains true across all technology offerings, but as a company that sells our solution to the PR industry, it’s even more so the case. The reality is that PR companies generally experience relatively high turnover which limit the effectiveness of training and it’s not an industry that has invested a lot in technology in the past.
So, if something isn’t incredibly simple and intuitive, PR teams just won’t adopt it. It’s why Excel spreadsheets are still the most widely used tool amongst PR professionals. They suck, but they’re simple.
That’s why we went back to the drawing board and we’ve re-built, or will soon re-build, ever part of our application. With today’s release, we think we’ve got the basics right. Now, we’re going to re-vist every module and every feature and apply that same simplicity test and re-build appropriately. And we’re going to complement this by building in more intelligence and automation into the platform.
After all, our mantra is to reduce admin and save our client’s time and money so they can be more successful. Simplicity is key to achieving that.
So we hope our clients enjoy the new release. As mentioned, it’s really just the beginning, though and with an ongoing series of mini-releases scheduled over the coming months, I promise you, you’re going to see something quite beautiful come together.
Click here to read out news announcement on our PRWire media distribution service.
