Differences between Consumer UX and Enterprise UX

What first comes to mind at the mention of enterprise software? Expectedly, you’re going to imagine it to be an age-old, cumbersome application that users dread, but aren’t really allowed to say so. You think of it to be a bane to productivity and creativity. And this assessment is spot on, except that we’re in 2019, and these assumptions about enterprise software should not hold true.

As the way technology exists at the moment, the line differentiating enterprise and consumer design has been reduced to a blur. Users of consumer apps yearn to have the top-notch professional features of enterprise tech, whereas enterprise users have become more forthcoming about adopting the sleekness and simplicity of consumer apps.

Today, the enterprise user and the consumer user is one and the same person using these varies technologies at work and for leisure, respectively. Therefore, there isn’t much of a deviation between the two from the designer’s perspective.

The differences lie only in the details

- Enterprise projects are commissioned by people who might not be their actual end users.

The employees who happen to be the ultimate users in the enterprise have next to no influence on purchasing decisions (although this is undergoing a revision in recent years). This can have an impact on the manner in which the design team goes about soliciting requirements and gather feedback. It also happens that the sale process of the enterprise product drags on for months, and in the process widens the gap in communication between the designers and the end users, resulting in loss of usability.

However, more and more companies have realized the value of UX, are taking efforts to factor in employee opinions in the decision-making process to maximize their RoI in technology. While it would take a few more years for the true value of UX to sink in among enterprise buyers, they are certainly becoming aware that the employees of today are users of cutting-edge technology in their everyday lives and saddling them with anything outdated and sluggish will never result in productivity or profitability.

- Software upgrades in cases of enterprise apps are trickier to implement.

Designers have to put in a lot of effort to consider the impact of new features on an existing system and how it will be received. Users in the enterprise systems are victims of habit — and in that sense, aren’t too different from a consumer user. The point of difference is that a software update that makes the enterprise user uncomfortable will have disastrous results on the productivity of the workforce. Either that, or the users will switch to a parallel system which defeats the purpose of a usable product. In a B2C scenario, users straight up refuse to be saddled with technology which does not satisfy their needs. In the B2B context, they may not even have an outlet to share what they really think — which is something that the designers have to keep in mind every step of the way.

- Motivations that drive the designs vary distinctly.

Consumer apps are driven by factors that are radically different from enterprise apps. Since most “free” consumer apps run on ad revenues, they are expected to have an addictive quality to them. Designers working on consumer projects have to devise ways to entice the user, make them use the app more and more. Whereas the exact opposite is valid for enterprise apps where the functionality needs to be minimally invasive and perform in a more behind-the-scenes manner.

Thus, designers working on either projects have to have very different approaches. It’s a match between invasive design vs non-invasive design or commercial interests of the consumer app vs business goals of the enterprise.

Is the design process any different?

There’s a common design process followed by designers to accomplish a project, which is roughly spread over four phases -

• Conducting user research
• Synthesizing the research findings
• Ideating solutions and testing them
• Designing the selected solution

Designers working on B2C apps are usually treading on the familiar territory by way of being users of consumer technology like social media or e-commerce apps. They tend to have an inkling of what it feels to be a consumer user. In enterprise cases, designers are completely at sea regarding user perspectives and therefore expectedly rely heavily on research data. Additionally, they also have to be up-to-date with industry knowledge and internal lingo to create relatable solutions. This does not indicate that user research is unnecessary in the B2C context, but only stresses its importance while working on B2B projects.

While ideating solutions, eUX designers may have to work with extra caution, since there is limited scope for wacky innovation. Ideas that are too radical or too “out there” are usually not a good fit for enterprise technology, because it would mean a big deviation from user expectations, even if it is designed to make their lives easier.

When it comes to designing the final UIs, eUX designers have to deal with workflows that are more complicated involving multiple roles, profiles, duties, accessibility, and security. These factors take precedence over aesthetic additions. Consumer UX, in comparison, has more scope for designers to be more playful and experimental while designing the visuals.

Enterprise Vs. Consumer — Should it matter to the designer?

It rightfully shouldn’t — after all, all users are human. With the advent of UX advocates across all spheres of life, there’s hardly a line of distinction between designing for B2B or B2c products. To be honest, there should not be a difference in the process of designing. Ultimately, it is the designer’s job to truly understand the user and the market and empathize to their needs and requirements. The design efforts arising out of thorough research and empathy are sure to make the right impact and contribute to user satisfaction.

Consumer UX is centered on impressing the user with polishes appearances and sleek functionality, whereas enterprise UX deals with helping users to do their job well, and thereby contribute towards the company. Therefore, developing a dazzling, bare-minimum UI isn’t high on the list of priorities for an eUX designer.

In both cases, it is up to the designers to develop systems that do not require any hand-holding. There used to be a time when enterprises had the attitude of helping users cope with complex systems by holding training sessions, but the advent of apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Salesforce has negated the need for training

The “wow” factor in enterprise UX depends on whether it gets the job done well, and not necessarily on its looks and appearance. That said, ugly, clunky UIs that slow down productivity are a thing of the past for enterprises. Good design is what is expected by all clients, be it enterprise or consumer, which is what the designers need to keep in mind.

Bansi Mehta

With an experience of over a decade in User Experience, Bansi Mehta is the Founder & CEO of Koru UX Design LLP. Collectively, her team provides exceptional UX for enterprise applications and complex systems, working with clients ranging from healthcare giants to boutique investment banks. A self-driven leader, she firmly believes that life is worth living when you make a meaningful contribution to the people around you.