[…] the user experience in enterprise software has always been “pure shit” — the only difference is that in the past, we had nothing to compare it to, so we couldn’t tell how bad things were.
Unfortunately, I’ll have to disagree with this opinion. I think the enterprise software has usually offered a very bad experience to those using it, because the acquisition decision was (and continues to be) taken at the wrong level.
How many cases have you heard of a sales team pitching directly to those inside the company that will use the product and not some C-level person? How many times have you heard of software companies sending people to spend time close to their target users to understand their daily routines and their needs?
Have you ever wondered why VCs are asking the entrepreneur to describe a day in the life of their user? The reason is obvious: they want to make sure that your entrepreneurial vision is matching as much as possible the reality. And not the reality of your friends, but the reality of your target audience.
In the end I’ll tell you a short story: a couple of weeks back, I had to spend more than 1 hour in front of the cashier because she was using a new software. A new software for which she got 1 hour of training and a 12 page absolutely crap manual (and yes, I had the (mis)chance to read it while waiting to have my money taken).
