When most people moved software from licensed installations on servers and desktop/laptop PCs to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps in the cloud, we did not see much change in the fundamental ways the business logic and user experience worked. Until now, enterprises of all sizes have mostly focused on removing the cost and complexity of on-premise computing and capital-intensive hardware and software licence purchases. But now we need to move on.
What's needed today in business is new generation apps that are reimagined and simplified. We need solutions that eliminate waste (Lean Thinking) and engage users in a better way (Design Thinking). In summary, we need to apply 3 Design Principles to next generation Web, mobile and SaaS apps:
- Meaningful Journey
- Fierce Reduction
- Progressive Disclosure
#1. Meaningful Journey
When designing a next generation app, the first thing to create is its journey: the path, steps or tasks that users will complete in providing a service, undertaking work or solving a problem. With Lean Thinking at the heart of the design, this means removing steps or tasks that are wasteful or unnecessary. Therefore, this journey must be a Meaningful Journey: from the moment a user goes to the login page, to the moment they logout, when the task(s) or work is done.
#2. Fierce Reduction
When users get confused with apps, it's usually because what they are confronted with on a page view offers too many choices of what to do next. Often, there is no obvious place to go or action to take from a particular stage in what should be a Meaningful Journey. What's needed is a fierce reduction mindset: a way to eliminate everything on each screen that distracts from any action at each stage. This is Fierce Reduction.
#3. Progressive Disclosure
When designing a Meaningful Journey and applying Fierce Reduction, it is better to have more clicks or swipes through pages of a SaaS app, than add too many options in any given page or screen view. This means that with a fiercely reductive mindset, you will have to engage in a trade-off between simplicity of page or screen view, versus the number of pages on a Meaningful Journey. This is ensuring that Progressive Disclosure is applied to app design.