This is one of the things that our customers said when asked about our programs and important features of software. Most of them said: ‘it needs to be easy to use’. But they also said it’s looks need to be appealing and it’s functioning reliable. If software is not functioning properly, people will not use it. And this doesn’t only go for software, it is visible in everything. I am surrounded by objects and devices and I am constantly becoming aware of their usability.

Take a door, for example. That door stands for the software I use for solving a problem: how to get to the other side of this wall? When looking at the door, certain questions arise. Does it open this way or the other? How do I need to turn the doorknob? With just one good look, all of these questions are answered. I know how to open the door, problem solved.

If I ever have to think about any of these questions – the door doens’t have a knob, is it an automatic door or do I need to push – I’m not focussed on my problem anymore. It creates an obstackle, a bottleneck. I’d have to first learn how to use the software before being able to solve my problem. The same goes for apps on your cellphone or computer. If you have to think, you’re not using the app optimally.

When developing TMWalker4, we asked ourselves: what is the value of the change we want to make, and is it easy to use? Are the changed features easy to use, or the kind of useful that a user wouldn’t mind a bit of instruction? Only if we were able to answer one of these questions with a yes, we continued. This is the reason we switched the menu for tiles, that allow you to start an app with just one click. It became a lot more simple.

Our challange is to create intuitive software that’s easy to use. To not make you think when using the software and thus creating operational excellence. Just like opening a door.