How Usable Is Your Content Management System?

When we think about the usability of the products that we sell, it’s because we have come to recognize that usability affects user perception of our products and, ultimately, sales. When consumers don’t find a product usable, they have unfavorable reactions that range from not using the product to returning it, to blogging about their complaints to steer others away from buying it. We’ve learned to take usability seriously, and put a certain amount of effort into making sure our designs are well thought out. When it comes to bringing products into the organization, can we make that same claim?

The implications of implementing a content management system (CMS) not vetted for its usability can make it a disruptive and costly endeavor. The idea that users will simply adopt a technology implementation is idealistic, but often does not bear out. Human nature is to take the path of least resistance, and when an application puts barriers in the way of accomplishing a task, a user is likely to fall back on tried-and-true ways as the means to a speedy end. When a naturalistic system is presented, i.e., the system is made to work in a way more natural to humans, users are far more likely to adopt the system. I’ve watched users, particularly when under pressure to get something done “right now,” or by quitting time on Friday, to bypass technology with system-based processes, in the interest of expediency. They may even intend to redo their little shortcuts “the right way” when they return Monday morning, but of course, by the time Monday rolls around, they’ve either forgotten or gotten caught up in work-a-day pressures that deprioritize the correction of a process they see as inherently broken.

Ultimately, system non-adoption or non-adherence costs the organization in several ways: loss of time, loss of content accuracy, and ultimately loss of the very efficiency that the system was put in place to address. That can translate into lost hours, lost productivity, and, in organizations sensitive to the possibility of potential lawsuits arising from content irregularities, an increased risk factor.

Testing a content management system for usability before its implementation is not unusual, and should be part of the standard due diligence undertaken by any organization considering a move to content management. System usability can be tested at several steps during the presale phase.

The first usability test can be done as early as during the demo, where you can watch for obvious usability problems, such as illogical sequencing of steps in a process, or interface buttons or commands that require jumping around or opening multiple windows at odd times during a process. The next test can be done once you’ve developed your use cases to present to the shortlisted vendors. In the ensuing discussions, the vendor should be able to demonstrate how you would accomplish specific tasks, based on your use cases. Because a CMS may have significant customizations for your organization, a coherent, end-to-end test is not likely, but the vendor should be able to isolate common tasks for testing. The last, and most extensive, test should be during the proof-of-concept, when the system you’ve chosen has been customized and installed for testing. This is the last chance to get any usability kinks worked out of the system. At this point, you shouldn’t be testing for the obvious - that should have been done before signing on - but you should still have the option to put the application through its paces to ensure that internal users can get their work done with ease.

Putting effort into getting a usable CMS goes beyond the obvious need for driving efficiency and accuracy. It says that you value your internal users enough to ensure that they have a toolset that works for them. Usability in a CMS creates a win-win situation, and that goes a long way in the workplace toward system adoption.