How to streamline your software selection

Software search begins with a common need. Maybe you need an app to track clients, collaborate with colleagues, create presentations, keep track of the weather forecast, or handle your accounting. In each of these fields, most people can quickly identify well-known, widely used applications.

But in my experience, choosing software often starts with focusing on a long list of features. In many cases, I think it’s a mistake. A better approach is to create a short list of apps that you already know, then follow the steps below first to expand and then shorten your list. During expansion, you look for systems that you might not have known might make viable candidates. In the shortening process, you get rid of applications that are not well maintained or are not from trusted companies. Only then do you dive into the product details.

How to streamline your software selection

Looking for solutions

Web searches – or more precisely a series of web searches – can help you identify potential software solutions. Make sure to use keywords, group keywords in quotes, and then refine your results by excluding results that contain terms you don’t need. It’s an iterative process, but when done well, helps you hone the results you’re looking for.

UNDERSTAND: How to get better search results on Google (TechRepublic)

But once you’ve identified a few potential vendors and apps, I recommend looking into mobile app stores as well. When I work with organizations, I really like vendors that offer both Android and Apple apps. That means I switch to the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store and search for vendor apps in both stores. When vendors offer mobile apps in both stores, it’s a strong signal that the vendor is at least a certain size.

When I compare apps from different vendors, I tend to note not only the number of downloads, which indicates popularity and market reach, but also the app rating, at least as a general indicator of user satisfaction with the app. Some ratings may be affected by fake ratings or errors found only in early versions of the app. Overall, however, download counts and ratings provide a quick way to weed out apps that are rarely downloaded and rated poorly.

Platform and system-specific app stores can also be helpful. For example, people in organizations using Google Workspace can discover Google’s workspace marketplace. Using Salesforce? To try on Salesforce App Store. You get the idea. The apps listed in the store provided by the platform you use are more likely to work well with the app you already use. Typically, such systems support single sign-on and some degree of integration with your chosen platform.

App stores also often display related apps, such as the You May Also Like section in the App Store or a similar Apps area in the Google Play store. The apps listed in these areas are sometimes great alternatives that you might want to explore.

Review the updates

Identify recent changes made to the app by reviewing the notes and release dates for the mobile apps, or by checking the publicly posted changelog or blog . For example, see Version History data in Apple’s App Store or About This App | Updated on the date in Google Play. This helps you identify apps that are not under active development. If an app hasn’t been updated for a year or more, I consider it no longer under active development. Maybe the software is perfect and doesn’t need to be changed? Right. Is that possible? No.

For an extra level of review, look for public product plans and upcoming updates. Sometimes, a vendor will provide a schedule for the future public release of features. In other cases, changes may be previewed as part of a conference or client gathering. The level of detail about upcoming changes varies considerably, but all else being equal, I’d really rather work with a provider that publishes plans rather than one that doesn’t. reveal any future development roadmap.

Prioritize people of the public

A surprising number of software vendors choose to publish little or no information about the people behind the products. I like to use systems from companies that provide real people, photos, names, titles, biographies, and contact information.

In addition, I also like software and systems from organizations and people who are actively involved in social networks. This kind of presence and activity tends to indicate a company large enough to have people dedicated to the mission or a culture of community engagement. Both are positive signs in my opinion. It doesn’t really matter if people join on Twitter, LinkedIn, blog posts or Reddit. It is important that the company provides information, answers customer questions, and interacts with current and potential customers.

Consider cost

A published set of prices tends to enhance my confidence in a company: I can estimate things that can be costly. Anyone who’s ever searched for enterprise pricing for software knows that many companies provide a form and invite you to contact a salesperson for a quote. It was a very pre-cloud tactic to maximize revenue for the company. Companies will ask them to find a way to make sure you have the right solution to meet your needs. That may be the case, but not providing any kind of public valuation guidance undermines my trust in your organization.

I’m not suggesting you need a complete cost estimate or quote at this stage. Instead, just take a few minutes to find out how much a system might cost your usage scenario. An estimate is fine. A reliable vendor that publishes pricing will at least provide enough guidance so you can determine that a system will cost $10/month per person, not $1,000/month per person.

Rate the features

If a system passes all four previous evaluations, you at least know you have a system worth considering. Next, you’ll move on to the detailed evaluation phase, which is where too many people often start. At this point, you’ll want to use the usual types of evaluation techniques to make sure the system does what you need it to, in the workflow you like, and works with the devices and systems you use. . As usual, don’t trust the features checklist. Verify that everything works as you expect.

However, be open to different ways of doing things, as your mental model of how things should work may not be how the vendor solves the problem. For example, over the years I’ve run into people accustomed to emailing files. It takes some explaining to convey that, no, the share button allows you to give everyone access to a group of people, all at once, instead of emailing attachments to each person in the group. have their own copy of the file. Similar problems occur with workflows, where access allows you to redo the process. The process of choosing another system is an opportunity to consider a different way of doing things.

What is your experience with software selection?

In my experience, too many people neglect to evaluate features. Great value: Doing the first four steps is quick, though, as each of these steps helps you weed out systems that don’t work with existing, up-to-date, or unlisted systems and transparent in terms of people or pricing.

What software and simple vendor screening techniques do you use? Is there a particular signal you look for that, when present, indicates that you should – or should not – consider a system? Do any of the above tips help you choose effective software?

If you have any software selection tips or techniques, let me know by a mention or direct message on Twitter (@awolber).