Make it easy to do the right thing.
In tech, people often talk about creating a happy path.
What that means is that the technology moves through a workflow of code in the simplest way possible.
What it also means is that a ton of difficulties and variables can be left out for simplicity.
Santi Garces, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the City of Boston, often says, “Make it easy to do the right thing.”
When looking to make a change to a service or process, he often looks for the happy path.
Just last week, I got to work with a group of firefighters on the west coast, and I was reminded of Santi’s mantra.
The firefighters were struggling tremendously with a wildfire mitigation form that was created by their legal office.
The form was a simple application for everyday people to request assistance in removing plant debris to help mitigate wildfires.
As we moved through the form, we noticed a few major user experience problems:
- The form called the customer “The Recipient”.
- The form asked “The Recipient” to write their address three different times…in free form.
- The form asked “The Recipient” to sign the document four different times.
- The form contained complicated legal statements like “I ____ do hereby provide…”
- The form was two full pages.
Let’s run through the issues here. I have some notes.
To create a better form, stop calling them “The Recipient” and maybe call them what they are…the applicant.
Free form text creates major issues with errors and reworking addresses. To make it easier for the customer (a.k.a. “The Recipient”), let’s get rid of the free form and connect the form to ESRI or Google Maps to automatically populate real addresses, just like Amazon does.
Next, let’s only ask for the address once. I know it is a novel idea…but one time is enough.
You don’t need four signatures on the same form. No one wants to sign their name four times.
When the legal team says no to getting rid of the four signatures, let’s push for initials on three and signatures on one. But really, you only need one signature.
Then, let’s push to reduce the legal language and mainly rely on plain language. The federal government has been pushing for plain language on forms and applications for years.
Why? Not all of our customers are attorneys. Complicated legal language creates major barriers for everyday people accessing services. And we are not issuing a home loan.
Finally, this form shouldn’t be two pages. This is a simple application to request assistance in removing plant debris to help mitigate wildfires. Keep it simple—one page is enough.
The lesson to learn here is, if you can make it simpler, you should. Don’t make it more complicated than it has to be.
It’s the same with work as it is in life. Find the path of least resistance.
The easy path and the right path should always be the same. Make it easy to do the right thing.
Looking to find the right (and easy) way to fix problems at your workplace? Drop me a line here for a free consultation.