The importance of human-centric application development is not something commonly discussed outside of the developer community. This approach focuses on creating digital experiences—be it applications, websites, or wearables—that are intuitive and accessible to a diverse range of users. It encompasses considerations for individuals with varying mental and physical abilities, different demographic and personality factors, as well as varied language and cultural backgrounds. By prioritizing the user experience, developers can ensure their products are inclusive and accessible, which is not just a regulatory requirement but a moral imperative.
To find out more about this in relatable context, we spoke to Sara Faatz, Director, Technology Community Relations, Progress. The recent pandemic has significantly accelerated our reliance on technology, propelling digital experiences to the forefront of daily life. As we navigate the post-pandemic era, there is an increasing demand for immersive and interactive digital solutions.
The rise of generative AI and other advanced technologies has further amplified this shift, often augmenting or even replacing human touchpoints. Just as we insist on physical spaces being accessible, there is a growing expectation for digital environments to meet similar standards of inclusivity and usability.
Despite widespread recognition of the importance of human-centric design, many organizations struggle to fully implement these principles. Challenges such as the complexity of development processes, lack of adequate tools, and insufficient cross-team collaboration hinder progress. However, with targeted training, investment in the right tools, and fostering a culture of inclusivity within development teams, organizations can bridge these gaps. By focusing on these areas, businesses can enhance their digital offerings, ensuring they meet the evolving needs and expectations of their users.
- Can you explain what human-centric application development entails and why it has become increasingly important in today's digital landscape?
Human-centric application development is, in the simplest of terms, building digital experiences (applications, websites, wearables, etc) with the users and their needs as the development team's North Star. They are easy to navigate for a diverse range of users, including but not limited to those with differing mental and physical abilities, demographic and personality factors and varied language and cultural backgrounds. Experiences that are built following a human-centric model will be accessible and inclusive. Accessible features could include dark mode, adjustable text size, the ability to use a screen readers.
This is so important for so many reasons. First, there are laws and regulations in place all over the world that applications must comply with. But probably even more important than that is it is simply the right thing to do.
We are in such an interesting time. The pandemic was a catalyst for society's increased reliance on technology. As we come out of that era, our thirst for immersive digital experiences has only grown.
In many cases – and particularly with the democratization and rise in popularity of generative AI – these experiences are at a minimum augmenting human touchpoints, but in some cases replacing them altogether.
In the physical world, we acknowledge and demand the need to make our spaces accessible. In many cases, there is justifiable outrage when they are not. It is no different in the digital world. Ensuring our digital experiences are accessible and inclusive- ensuring they are built with humans in mind – is critical.
- According to your recent study, 76% of application developers and IT decision-makers now prioritize human-centric design more than they did two years ago. What are the primary drivers behind this shift?
Mainly the fact that user needs are ever-changing and that they expect more from their experiences with brands. This has largely been driven by the rapid increase in digital interactions, an increased focus on accessibility and inclusion by end users and the increased pervasiveness of AI and IoT.
From a business perspective, it's also important to understand that a human-centric approach is vital to the overall customer experience. Without it, the business runs the risk of losing business. In fact, according to the Salesforce State of the Connect Customer report, 80% of customers say the experience a customer provides is as important as its products and services.
Additionally, the increasing influence of Gen Z workers who are looking for inclusive employers also emerged as a significant driver of adoption.
- Despite 98% of organizations acknowledging the importance of human-centric software development, only 34% are actively addressing it through tools and training. What are the main barriers preventing organizations from fully embracing these practices?
Adoption is a significant challenge, as organizations overwhelmingly acknowledged grappling with human-centric design principles such as meeting customer demands, complexity/lack of agility in the application development process, and difficulty measuring whether something is really human-centric.
Meanwhile, a lack of tools/tech investment and lack of cross-team collaboration during software development were also stumbling blocks.
Many have mooted the idea of retrofitting, or implementing modifications to existing software solutions, but from what we can observe this doesn't seem to address these challenges.
But it isn't all bad news. There are things organizations can do. First, they can upskill their development teams and bring a culture of human-centric development to the team. If developers have an accessibility and inclusivity-first mindset, when developing new applications, they will be able to implement the necessary features and functionality to make their digital experiences easy for everyone to use. And, as they begin to upgrade their legacy applications, they will be able to bring those same development principles to the experiences.
- For companies looking to invest in human-centric applications in the next 12–18 months, what are the critical areas they should focus on to ensure successful implementation?
Just throwing money at it isn't the answer. Rather, organizations must be deliberate in the implementation strategy. Naturally, this means tapping into tools and solutions that empower your software architecture to develop apps in line with these user expectations. Leaders should also conduct training and skills development around accessibility.
On an organizational level, increased collaboration across teams is critical to success, as it will help unlock cost efficiency and effectiveness for designing, developing and operating human-centric applications.
Other areas of concern include working with partners and suppliers who prioritize human centricity and identifying metrics that show value and support for developing human-centric applications.
- The study indicates a need for better training and collaboration across teams. How can organizations enhance these aspects to foster a culture of human-centric design?
Tailoring training programs to focus on human-centric design for starters. This should also be supplemented with hiring more diverse talent from across disciplines.
More generally with regard to human-centric design, being objective about the disconnect between perceptions of maturity and business reality is critical. Engaging in more rigorous internal testing, cross-team collaboration, and goal setting helps the organization to settle on a clear current state. They can then partner with external vendors to bridge the gap in line with regulatory requirements.
The last thing I'd say is that organizations struggling to achieve success need a more cohesive strategy for human-centric design. Once conceived, measures must be taken to ensure they are routinely followed. With a strategy and goals established, it will be much easier to sift through available tooling and select the ones best suited to each organization's use case.
- What's next for Progress?
As technologists, we love to geek out about the technology itself, but at Progress we are intentional in thinking about the humans who are using our software. We build tools and products that meet accessibility requirements. We write articles and other content about accessibility, user experience and design to help our customers understand how to leverage the technology in a way that is inclusive and easy to use.
In a time where AI is advancing at a rapid pace, we are finding ways to leverage it to enhance the human experience – both in our products and in our processes.
Hopefully by sharing the study, we are bringing awareness to more people about something that is near and dear to our hearts. We want to empower organizations to build human-centric digital experiences for all.
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