Hey folks, I have a question about how companies develop systems for commercial use. When a company is hired to create software for an organization, do they usually involve regular users, especially those on the lower to mid-level, to chat about which features should be included?
To give you some background, I'm a new teacher, and I've noticed that many systems we use already collect all the data needed to implement basic features, yet they often lack these functionalities. For instance, I'm supposed to notify parents if a student has received a zero on an assignment or is on the verge of failing. Our grading system already has all the parent contact details, tracks attendance, and can flag assignments as missing. It even has the ability to send mass emails, but it doesn't allow notifications to be personalized for primary contacts.
Why not include an option to send tailored notifications to each primary contact with a list of their child's missing assignments? I could easily set this up in Excel within an hour. Is it common for developers to not consult users about these use cases?
5 Answers
Unfortunately, what you’re experiencing is pretty typical. Developers often have little to no direct communication with end-users, as there's a clear hierarchy in many companies. Requests have to go through various channels, so even if devs have ideas for enhancements, they may not be able to act on them without permission from project leads or management who might not fully understand user needs. This ultimately leads to end-users being forced to adapt to a system that doesn’t quite meet their needs.
Your experience is a common one. In theory, involving both primary and secondary users in the development process makes sense, but often it comes down to management's approval during the early stages. Developers can suggest features, but adding them later is often complicated, especially if management doesn’t see their value upfront. It's unfortunately a case of budget constraints and decision-making based on executive preferences rather than user needs.
It's actually not the devs who decide these things; it's often up to the management. In these projects, there are stakeholders, like the school IT department, who negotiate with the development company. Whether they choose to include teachers' opinions really depends on their priorities and budget. Asking for user feedback costs money and may not be seen as immediately valuable in profit terms.
What you're describing sounds like a classic case of lacking user experience research (UXR). While it can be costly, it's crucial for systems with many users. Sometimes companies skip it altogether and rely on the intuition of product managers or engineers. I’ve worked at places where we held user parties with food and prizes to incentivize feedback; it’s unconventional but effective!
Great point about the missing notification feature! What's often the case is that a feature needs to demonstrate a solid return on investment (ROI) before it's prioritized. If users can easily replicate a task using alternatives, like Excel, then companies may not see it as necessary. Unfortunately, the developers usually aren't the ones talking to users; that's often left to business or product managers, which can lead to disconnects if their insights aren't fully informed by user experiences.
I meant to clarify my wording; when I said devs, I was referring more to the whole company. And your point about the Excel workaround actually highlights the bigger issue of managing multiple systems—it's just extra work that shouldn't be necessary.