The psychology of good software design

Independent software vendors churning out applications have swung from one programming language to another as required. But one of the biggest impacts on software development has been non-technical. 

Jodie Moule began her working life in 1999 as an organisational psychologist profiling people using online tests. She noticed that the design of the evaluations was damaging the outcomes of the tests. 

Moule quickly swung into testing usability with consultancies and startups before forming her own business, Symplicit, in 2003. Symplicit focused on improving websites and interfaces by looking at how people interacted with them. The company was recently acquired by DWS for $8.5 million.

Useability is a related concept to ‘design thinking’, a term that Apple would soon popularise with the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. While many software designers pay lip service to useability, Symplicit studies behaviour to test which design will generate the best outcome. 

“What is it that customers are trying to achieve and how can we use our knowledge of human behaviour and good design? We want to design processes and services that better fit people’s lives,” Moule says. 

“Apple has trained people to expect a lot more from their interactions from technology. The customer is king because they choose among you and your competitors with the swipe of a finger.” 

Design thinking is not just for smartphone-wielding consumers. A more tightly designed interface shortens processes and reduces the time to complete a task. These efficiencies then lower business costs. 

Symplicit has expanded into service design, product design and innovation as well as social innovation. The latter Moule defines as applying design thinking and customer-led innovation “to solve problems of all shapes and sizes”. 

“The main way we approach the world is through behavioural insights from research. We observe people in their homes and don’t trust what they say. People don’t know why they do what they do. They make stuff up when challenged,” Moule says.  

The investigation produces “strategic design”, Moule says. That strategy can appear in new business models, the design of a tangible product or service, or in marketing materials and communications.

Moule brings the psychology-led design while her business partner is an industrial designer. The combination of the two approaches helps them place a human at the centre of their projects.

Moule has an unusual take on how Symplicit differs from other software companies. A lot of new ideas behind application design come from a room full of bright people brainstorming the best approach, Moule says. 

Symplicit tests the ideas first before it builds them. “Our company is like insurance for companies to know they’re heading down the right path.” 

Two-thirds of Symplicit’s work is application development while the other third is focused on designing experiences rather than products. Customers include enterprises in banking and finance, telecommunications and government. 

The team at Symplicit occasionally work on their own projects. The consultancy created a free iPad app called ‘Cook’ as a case study to illustrate a book on user experience design. The self-funded app shot to the top 10 food and drink apps list on iTunes globally. 

So should independent software vendors start hiring psychologists? It’s unlikely to have an impact without changing the company’s culture first, Moule says. “You’re misguided if you think that assigning one lone psychologist will change your company’s approach.” 

A more successful strategy would be to acquire an existing team and get commitment from management to prioritise customer experience.  

Symplicit is running an innovation bootcamp in July.