Generic where generic is good
Accounting, payments and commodity infrastructure often belong in proven specialist tools.
02 / The alternative
Your business probably doesn't work like everyone else's.
That's not a problem. Until your software assumes that it does.
Use standard software for standard problems. Build the bits that make you different.
Specific where you are specific
Your customer journey, operating model and service delivery rarely fit a template perfectly.
One useful experience
People should see the information and actions that matter to them, not learn the whole system.
HERE'S WHAT BETTER COULD LOOK LIKE
One organisation. Different useful views.
The underlying information can stay connected while warehouse, finance, relationship owners and customers each see only the job in front of them.
WAREHOUSE
Only the job in front of you.
- Orders to pack→
- Stock location→
- Exceptions→
- Next action→
Same underlying organisation. Completely different experience depending on the job.
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE
Fit the interface to the person, not the database.
Warehouse
See the items that need packing, the stock location and the next action. Nothing else.
Finance
See money, reconciliation, exceptions and the things that need judgement.
Relationship owner
See the people, history, opportunities and promises that matter to the relationship.
Customer
See their own journey. They should never have to understand your internal architecture.
If every person in your organisation could have a screen designed only for the job they are doing, what would disappear from it?
Same organisation. Different experience.
Our work on Yopla Platform and resident-service concepts is built around this idea: the underlying organisation can stay connected while each person sees only the information and actions relevant to them.
See the work →4 specific ways in.
Each chapter starts with a real situation rather than another abstract software claim.
WEEK 05
Your business probably isn't standard
That is fine. Until your software assumes that it is.
See the story →WEEK 06What should you buy off the shelf?
Quite a lot, actually. Custom does not mean rebuilding everything.
See the story →WEEK 07One screen for everybody is normally a bad idea
People should see the job, not the whole system.
See the story →WEEK 08Bring us one workflow
Not a software specification. Just tell us what happens.
See the story →Bring us one workflow.
Tell us who is involved, what happens now and where it gets awkward. We will show you how the experience could fit each person better.
