Transforming B2B Software: From Functionality to User Experience

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the perspectives of IIBA.



In business analysis, delivering value to stakeholders goes beyond fulfilling functional requirements. It also involves understanding and enhancing user experience (UX).

As business analysis professionals, part of our role is to connect technology and the end user, ensuring software products are functional and user-friendly. This article explores why the user experience of B2B (business-to-business) software has often fallen short and how a shift toward user-centric design can lead to better outcomes for businesses and their users.

During the early years of my career, I often wondered why the user experience of B2B software products was generally poor. People would often struggle to navigate the software or grasp its capabilities without training or consulting a manual.

I gradually understood that product design is typically centred around developing functionality that fulfils business requirements, with less attention paid to usability. The underlying assumption is that users will inevitably need to learn how to use the software effectively.

Smartphones, smart TVs, mobile apps, video streaming platforms, touchscreens, and high-resolution photographs have conditioned the human eye to expect clear, crisp, colourful, and intuitive designs, as well as seamless user experiences. As a result, the human brain knows what a decent user experience is, resulting in increased demand and expectation for high-quality UX in B2B software products. 

Evolving User-Centric Design in B2B Software

In recent years, organizations that develop B2B products have been focusing on the user interface (UI) and UX needs of end users. While this emphasis often results in more user-friendly software, it can sometimes render the product unusable due to over-complicated design. Furthermore, usability perceptions depend on factors like the end users’ age, the type of functionality the product supports, the criticality of the functionality, and usage frequency.

For instance, consider an Order Management System used by a brokerage firm, where a relationship manager might initiate hundreds of time-sensitive transactions. If the user experience is poor—with complex navigation, small fonts, difficult searches, excessive button clicks, and pop-ups causing performance delays—it can lead to frustration, anger, and a general dislike for the product, ultimately defeating the purpose of the system.

Ten years ago, I was eager to explore any software, regardless of its complexity or poor design. These days, I’m reluctant to invest time in platforms that don't prioritize user experience. It has since been established that a good design enables a user to operate software intuitively. Even with complex products, if a user can independently explore the help content to learn how to use the product and succeed, it shows good design.

But what makes for good design? There may not be a one-size-fits-all approach. In an era of rapid tech growth and ever-increasing user expectations, drawing inspiration from user experiences—either collective or our own—can help design user-centric software without compromising on functionality.

Consistency vs. Context

Organizations with diverse product portfolios often use shared UI components across different products to reuse components, maintain brand consistency, and ensure platform coherence.

For example, a toggle switch can indicate a “yes” or “no” on a screen. However, its use should not be automatic for every “yes” or “no” scenario. Instead, the choice of UI elements should depend on the specific requirements and the preferences of end users.

Prototype testing can help select and validate the appropriate elements to use. While consistency is important, selecting UI elements based on the context in which users will interact with them enhances the overall user experience.

Emotional UX Design

Emotional UX design, which is gaining popularity, focuses on understanding the end user’s feelings to create a more positive experience with the product. This approach enhances user satisfaction and loyalty.

For example, long loading times can lead to a negative user experience with the product. To ensure a positive experience, current guidelines suggest a user interface loading time of under three seconds. Exceeding this can reduce user engagement, increase frustration, and ultimately result in user abandonment.

Examples of emotional UX design include tooltips or other UI elements to help users navigate a screen. This friendly assistance makes users feel supported and confident as they use the product, enhancing their experience. Designing products for emotional impact can create memorable experiences that resonate with users long after engagement with the interface.

Conservative vs. Liberal

People may make mistakes or change their minds along their user journey. A conservative user experience design forces the user to perform actions in a predefined way. A liberal user experience allows users to make mistakes and provides ways to undo them, fostering a sense of control over their journey.

For example, offering shortcut links to pages and allowing users to undo previous actions enhances the overall user experience. Embracing a liberal design approach empowers users and supports a more flexible and satisfying interaction with the product.

The Bottom Line

Product design should compel users to explore the product without harbouring negative emotions. Ultimately, it should enable them to conduct their business with ease.

Although consistency across platforms is valued within organizations, UX design should not be driven by engineering constraints. Rather, it should simplify the user journey. Keeping an open feedback channel and leveraging usability testing will help design user-centric products.

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