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Usability

While other software vendors advertise their software as easy to use, they never really explain what that means. They put time and energy into technical features but make ease of use an afterthought. In fact, only 18% of organizations actually rate their website management software as 'excellent' for ease of use¹. We've made Compass easy to use and designed every process with the user in mind. Compass is built around the principle that software should be easy to use. Here is what that means to us.

It's a no brainer.

Users should not have to think about how to use the software; they should just be able to use it without the extra mental effort. And it should be intuitive to the people using it - not just the developers and technical folks.

It's natural.

An extension of the previous rule, easy to use software should feel natural to its users. Consistency should be used to build repetition and familiarity. Users should feel comfortable and move their mouse instinctually rather than having to scan the page and look for certain elements.

It's non compromising.

Easy to use doesn't mean eliminating functionality, but rather finding a way to make the two coexist. Similarly, something can be easy to use but inconvenient, time-consuming, and frustrating (like forcing users to repeat tasks that can be consolidated into one). Easy to use software should be fast, convenient, and enjoyable to use.

It's unbreakable.

Users shouldn't be able to break the system or do something that negatively effects their website (like attempt to publish a page without a page title). The burden of avoiding these situations should be on the system, not the people using it. And if a user accidentily does something that could cause a problem, the system should provide informative messages that help the user correct the problem and move forward quickly. Messages like "object error" written in red do nothing to help the user.

It requires little to no instruction.

Steep learning curves and confusing training manuals are out. There is a difference between walking a new user through the process so they can become familiar with it and trying to teach them how to use it in long, complex training sessions. Many of our clients are comfortable using Compass without any instruction at all.