Software companies have forever struggled to make systems easier to use, more intuitive, and reduce barriers to adoption. Large-scale Enterprise Software struggles with this aspect, as more customization, configurations and complex features make it very difficult to maintain an application that everyone can easily use. Small companies tend to develop features that losely fit into their core offering, so while individual aspects of thier systems are intuitive, using the entire system effectively requires knowledge about how all of the features work together. Or, the system is too simple to meet the needs of the people who use it.
At BrainKeeper, we believe that We have found the perfect formula for having a powerful tool that is also incredibly easy to use. We do this thorugh a variety of ways:
1. We have an established product roadmap. We have a vision of where we want BrainKeeper to be in 2 weeks, in 6 months, and in the next year. This helps everyone at our company make decisions about what features should be implemented and how they should be integrated. Also, when one of our clients gives us a great new idea, we can easily see how it should fit in to the full product so that it doesn't feel like an add-on.
2. We don't re-invent the wheel. Sounds simple enough, but you would be suprised how often this happens. Doing something different does not always mean that it is better! A great example of this is our hierarchy feature, which allows users to nagvigate through wiki pages like Windows folders. Business people don't think of information as a web of interlinked content, and they are already familiar with a hierarchy. But, we wanted the ease of creating pages on the fly, so you end up with the best of both worlds.
3. Get feedback! Everything that we develop is previewed, commented on, redesigned, and polished before it is added to BrainKeeper. "Intuitive" does not mean the same thing to everyone, so we make every effort to appeal to the largest group of people possible.
4. Make sure it meets the need. Every feature and function is a tool to help a user achieve a goal. "I need to answer a question", "I need to capture my thoughts" or "I need to prepare a report"- we give you the tools you need to manage your communication and your knowledge, and we make sure the bells and whistles are as helpful as the core technology.
Developing software with an interface that is intuitive enough for everyone is a very challenging goal. But it is one of the most important aspects to BrainKeeper and we will continue to work toward this with every feature that we develop.
