You are in a good spot: your software is delivering cutting edge functionality. 

There’s just one problem: your product looks like it was built in the 90s.

And worse than that, it’s clunky to use. But you’re not alone, it’s a problem for many B2B software producers. As a solution, we’re seeing more and more B2B software borrowing from B2C design patterns, but tread lightly - it’s not as straightforward as it may seem.  

How do you give users access to all that wonderful data without overwhelming them? In the world of B2B software, where data-laden dashboards run rampant, how you meet this challenge can make or break the user experience. 

Here’s the paradox: the more data you present, the richer the insights -- AND the greater the risk of confusion, misinterpretation, or outright disengagement. 

I was speaking on a panel at Startup Week Boston, when two interesting questions came up:

“What strategies and tools do you recommend for enhancing accessibility? And are there instances when accessibility might not be a priority?”

I could’ve spent the entire time breaking down these questions, but there wasn’t time for that, which is why I’m breaking them down further here. Accessibility isn’t often well understood in the startup ecosystem, and seldom gets the time it deserves.

It was probably back in grad school, over 20 years ago, that I first came across the idea of the “three-legged stool” approach to product development.  Somewhat revolutionary at the time was the notion that development, UX, and product management (all legs supporting the seat of product development) must be of equal length and strength or your stool will wobble, be unsteady and potentially fall. 

Humans are pattern driven by nature. Our brains form patterns to create efficiency as we navigate through an increasingly complex world. These patterns generate trust in a virtuous cycle. When we see something we recognize, our guard goes down and things feel effortless. There’s nothing more important in financial technology than building trust. It doesn’t just make a difference in how users interact with your product, it’s the difference between a successful business and one that never gets off the ground.