Ever tried to design a product for a company you’ve never actually seen in action? It’s a bit like trying to bake a cake blindfolded, isn’t it? That’s the challenge we faced with our SaaS platforms. They were installed on client servers, locked away, and we couldn’t get any real-time user data. So, we decided to get a bit sneaky, in a good way, of course. We asked our clients if we could come in and shadow their users, to see how they actually used our products. It was a proper eye-opener.
Situation – The Data Black Hole
We were flying blind, really. We needed to improve our platform’s design, but we had no idea how users were actually interacting with it. Each installation was siloed, locked down on client servers, making analytics gathering impossible. We were missing out on crucial insights, and we knew we needed to find a way to bridge that gap.
Task – The User Shadowing Mission
My task was to gather real-time data on how our users were interacting with our SaaS platforms. We needed to identify their pain points, understand their workflows, and find ways to improve the user journey. We wanted to see the good, the bad, and the ugly, all in the context of a typical workday.
Action – The Shadowing Shenanigans
We didn’t just sit in a meeting room and ask questions. We went into the trenches, sitting alongside agents as they worked through their day. We shadowed them, taking notes on everything they did, every click, every sigh, every frustrated mutter. It was a bit like being a fly on the wall, but with a notepad and a pen.
One of the biggest pain points we identified was the constant need to switch between multiple platforms. Agents were wasting valuable time, jumping between systems, just to get the information they needed. It was a proper time-sink, and it was impacting their productivity.
Result – The API Revelation
The solution was clear: we needed to integrate more data into our platform. We looked into adding more API hooks, allowing us to pull in data from other systems. This would allow agents to work within a single platform, reducing the need to switch between applications. It was a bit of a revelation, a way to streamline their workflow and improve their overall efficiency.
It was a reminder that sometimes, the best way to understand your users is to see them in action. And that a bit of shadowing can go a long way in improving your product.
If you wish to learn more about this project, please let me know.
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