An enterprise user’s mindset and behavior patterns are quite different from a casual B2C user. Designing for working professionals requires an understanding of their job context, workflows, environment, problems and aspirations. They need solutions that not only replicate their manual real-life processes but also make them easier to accomplish. With this in mind, designers need to take a different approach to creatively problem solve without sacrificing a great user experience.
Kayla MacNeil, HVL’s Director of Design, invited two UX designers to a roundtable discussion to talk about the challenges of designing B2B software, as well as recommendations and advice from experienced designers on how to anticipate, reduce, and address these challenges.
Key Topics
- Key differences between designing for B2C and B2B software
- Finding a balance between providing valuable information inside the interface and adhering to design best practices
- Tactics to better understand the various industries and users that use digital products in their workloads
- Ways to approach security challenges that may exist when designing for multiple users
- Advice for designers who are building their first UX design system
- Addressing UX design improvements with business stakeholders
- The future of enterprise software
Takeaways
“I think that detail on demand is a really powerful tool. You can provide a lot of information, but don’t throw it at people all at once. It helps users help themselves.” – Amy Lambeth
“Having a glossary of domain-specific terms that you can refer to is extremely important. It not only provides a reliable source of truth for the team, but it also improves the end-user experience.” – Glynnis Ritchie
“I try to encourage my team is to think about flexibility and not be so rigid because you may encounter instances where everything in your designer brain is thinking ‘this is how it should look’ but then when you dive into what your users actually need, it may be the diametric opposite of what you feel like looks aesthetically pleasing.” – Kayla MacNeil
Our Speakers
Kayla MacNeil is the Director of Design at HVL, overseeing the vision and output of all things Design. Prior to working at HVL, Kayla served as Product Design Manager for Therapy Brands, a leading provider of fully-integrated Practice Management and EHR solutions for mental and behavioral health providers.
Glynnis Ritchie is a Senior UX Designer at NewAperio. She believes that design is first and foremost about solving problems. Glynnis designs consistent, accessible, and elegant user experiences, and specializes in web and mobile design for data-dense applications.
Amy Lambeth is a contractor under TEKsystems working on UX initiatives for the Centers for Disease Control. Her background includes experience in industry and academia, as a Product Designer for Therapy Brands and a UX Generalist for applied research at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
