Technology Success and User Behavior

I read an article recently in the Capital Monitor on Peugeot in which the author tells the story of Peugeot's entry into the U.S. automobile market. Peugeot hired J.D. Power to conduct a study on customer satisfaction. What they found out was that Americans thought Peugeot cars had trouble starting.

What Peugeot engineers knew, however, is that it wasn't a problem with the technology. It was a problem with user behavior. American drivers at that time were used to pumping the gas prior to starting a car. And Peugeot's advanced fuel injection system would get flooded if you pumped the gas prior to starting.

The interesting part of the story is what happens next. What would you do if it were your technology project? Attempt to educate the user population on the correct way to use it? Or re-design the system to fit user expectations? Peugeot chose the former approach. I'll give you a hint on how that worked out. They no longer sell in the U.S. market.

One thing we've known for years is that if the User Interface fails, the application fails. Technology needs to be easy to use. It should be self-apparent. When Apple introduced the iPhone, they said "you already know how to use it." That was one of its best features and key to its success. And, by the way, security needs to be built-in and invisible. You have to adapt the system to user expectations.

Understanding system user behavior is critical to its success and adoption rate. We take two lessons from the Peugeot story. First, design with user behavior in mind. And second, if there's a design flaw, don't be afraid to do some re-engineering. You can't expect any sizable population to all-at-once drop old habits. And usability is as important as any back-end wizardry that uses all the latest buzzwords.

A FishEye View

Thanks for joining us in our on-going discussion of technology, security, and identity & access management. In our introduction to FishEye Group LLC, we wrote:

In photography, a fisheye lens enables an extremely wide shot ultimately capturing significantly more information while providing a visually compelling perspective. Information and perspective are two key enablers to a successful consulting engagement. Like the lens, FishEye Group enables your organization to see and understand more about your business while providing experience-driven perspectives that drive success. FishEye Group takes a pragmatic approach to meeting immediate goals while keeping one eye on your long term strategic vision.

While we believe that statement, we recognize that a few of the concepts can be perceived as a bit ethereal. Perspective as a key enabler of a successful consulting engagement, for example? Well, the truth is that it really is. We've talked to dozens of organizations looking for ways to improve business through technology. All too often, the requests are entirely technology-driven. Perspective is what allows us to raise the conversation back up to the business drivers. What are we really trying to accomplish with this project? What are the business goals? What is the criteria for success? Without it, technology projects risk being mis-aligned with business expectations and ultimately labelled as failures.

In addition to perspective, another thing you can expect from us (as stated above) is pragmatism. We don't oversell. Whether it's products, services, or concepts, we're never driven to oversell or over hype. We value integrity over ego. Our key to success has always been about identifying key areas for real value, developing an action plan that delivers real value in line with long-term strategy, and then delivering on that plan. As long as we focus on a practical approach to providing real value and don't get caught up in vendor or analyst hype, we are successful and our clients thank us.

So, that's it in terms of introduction. Thanks again for participating in the conversation. And please keep an eye on us in the months ahead and expect great things. We will deliver.