Bake-offs, baby. That’s my thing lately. I’ve only got three on deck, but it seems to be an ever-constant activity, since we basically do the same thing with customers who need to present a customized environment to some powerful stakeholder soon (thanks, @derekdemoro, for pointing that out!)
To me, bake-offs are rife with corporate politics. Ok, everything about making a corporate purchase decision is lousy with politics. But end-user software vendor bake-offs in particular have the potential to bring any internal conflict to the surface. I think it’s because, during the entire bake-off process, multiple vendors trod dunderheadedly through unknown corporate kitchens and stir the pot. In our defense, we really can’t help ourselves. I mean, most vendors simply are not part of your corporate culture or network, so we are oblivious to all the alliances, animosities, and plots going on.
It’s like Survivor, really. “Many will enter. One will win.” But, that’s a tired analogy. Going to stick with the baking thing.
You’ve got the kind of corporate “restaurants” where the diners (i.e., business units) are really tired of the same ol’ hash that the chefs (i.e., corporate IT) have been slinging. But, since it’s the only restaurant in town, they shut up and eat. In a bake-off situation, those diners tend to speak up, because they see it as their only chance within the decade to change the menu. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to eat another bite of what they’ve been shoving down our throats for years.”
Enter the Main Ingredient: Usability. Yep, god love ‘em, end users want their software to be usable. Whoodathunk.
How many resources (time, talent) do vendors spend on making their stuff usable? Why isn’t this question on Requests for Proposal (RFPs)? I’d answer for Jive, but I simply don’t know. I just know it’s part of our cultural psyche – “Whatever we do, make sure it’s usable, and it doesn’t screw up existing usability.” This is ultra-important for social and collaboration software, because people can choose not to use it. How can a restaurant stay successful if nobody eats their cooking?
I take usability over functionality any day. We did an internal bake off between Clearspace and Confluence (same tasks performed by a myriad of users on both system..video taped even). Clearspace was the overwhelming favorite due to its ease of use and tight integration.
And you are absolutely correct about the politics of bakeoff. Hopefully the results will speak for itself
Andy, thanks for sharing that! I love hearing it!
This is the reason I love bake-offs now. I have a product that tends to set the bar for high usability, and usability is becoming a critical requirement in end-user software selections (finally).
That cake is so… beautiful…
Jonathan, I know! We are huge Ace of Cakes fans here, and this looked like something they’d do. Also, the green just matches my neon-colored blogsite so well.
Ooooh, I’m all about the bake-off! (prefer to call them “shoot-outs” in true Canadian form)
Is “usability” the icing or the flour? Or is it the baking soda? Or is usability actually the whole cake? Maybe it’s not an ingredient at all?
How many eggs do you need to break before getting the recipe just right?
I like a little nutmeg in my cake…
And rum.
Dave, you gotta stop the drinking, man.
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
You’re right, but this is actually considered eating…It’s a fine line.
Here’s my point. Usability is not just an ingredient. Usability IS the cake; It’s all of the ingredients combined that make the cake great. A great cake is what we will make.
Most organizations have existing ingredients that aren’t all that appetizing but with enough sugar and spice can be made more appealing. We can mash-up different ingredients, put pretty icing on the top and hide the imperfections of the main ingredients.
You could argue that this is lipstick on a pig? (Icing on dog food?) and maybe you’re right. But, as vendors, if we provide some means to help OTHER systems be more usable and add value (e.g. Lotus Connections Business Card function…shameless plug) to the WHOLE solution, then we are really making a difference for our customers.
Why am I so hungry all of a sudden?
The only way I have a competitive situation now is a bake-off. Very good prep is a necessary so question the customer right up to the point of interrogation if you can.
Taste wins the bake off and some folks have very strange cravings.
Even though policies dictate that we keep a pretty tight rein on those who wander through our kitchen, I guess we’re not complete corporate screw-ups since the sole purpose of our bake-off is usability.
Excellent point about the RFP question.
Claire, heh! Yep, yours is one of the few that is all about usability. I think you’re setting a trend! I wish the others I’m involved in could peek over your shoulder…