When we hear the words "word processors," we immediately think of these two: MS Word and Google Doc. They are surely the top word processing tools today, as they have always been.
We're not going to argue with that. They have these amazing features that are extremely useful. Feature? Perfect! But what about the UX?
Below are the stories we have from last week, and they show how users are affected by the complexities of these tools.
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Brad was laid off from his job of 15 years. π
He's now trying to get back on his feet,
and found this job posting that's perfect for him. Β πͺ
He was asked to submit his resume π and portfolio in the form of a Google Doc.
And so he did.
Brad was not tech-savvy π ββοΈ, but he was feeling hopeful and excited as he prepared his document.
He wanted to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible to show off his credentials.
He wanted to format it a certain way, so he made adjustments. π¨βπ»
He tried to change the margin, but he couldn't find π the option in any of the formatting features on the page.
He checked each button π, but there was still no margin.
Where could it be? ππ
He was getting stressed out when his wife Sally came in and saw him. πββοΈ
Sally instructed him to go to File, and at the bottom of the drop-down menu is the page setup.
He clicked on it, and presto! π₯³ There's the field where he could edit the margin.
Why can't it be more visible? He thought to himself.
Brad was already on edge after being laid off.
You can imagine how he felt π as he tried to complete these documents so he could return to work.
Being stressed out over a tool was the last thing he needed.
This could have been a better experience, especially for Brad π¨βπ»
if important formatting features had been placed in a more visible π location.
Why not place it on the page's main editing section for easier access?
A good UX is important. π
We must think about the overall UX journey of the people who use our software.
Make the users happy!
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Bob got a new job! Yay! π€©
He's working remotely π¨βπ» as an executive assistant for this company.
One of his first tasks involved data entry. MS Word is the tool he's been asked to use.
Bob was assigned to work on some texts and was βοΈ instructed to double the spacing between each line.
The problem was that he's not very familiar with MS Word.
He considered himself a casual user of the software. π€¦ββοΈ
He didn't know how to do this.
Where did he need to go? What button should he click?
He had no idea. π€·ββοΈ
He looked π§ in the toolbar at the top but couldn't find this spacing option.
Bob was overwhelmed and spent several minutes staring π³ at the computer screen.
Poor Bob. This was very embarrassing for him. π₯Ί
As a new employee, all he wanted to do was prove his skills and impress his employer.
But MS Word proved to be so complicated π¦Ύ for him.
He could have finished his work π much faster if he had known
that he could simply click π±οΈ the right button of his mouse and in the paragraph button,
he could adjust the spacing.
Sometimes developers are so focused π on making their app the best in the world
that they include everything.
Of course, having more features is great! π
The only time it becomes a problem and defeats its usefulness
is when it becomes overly complicated. πββοΈ It's far too much of users like Bob.
Why not add these most-used buttons and features to the main toolbar,
where users can easily spot them? ππ
This is why good UX is important, and this is where we can help!
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As you can see in the image below, between the two word processors, the majority of the respondents chose Google Docs as the easier tool to use.
What about you? Do you agree?
Link to the poll: Click here
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Each piece of software has its own set of complexities, especially if it includes a number of extremely useful features.
They say you can't have the best of both worlds, but we at Intent UX believe users can have at least a better version of the other.
For questions about how we can help you get the friendliest software, reach out to us!
Click the link below!
https://www.intentux.com/lp/ux-audit
