As we’ve said elsewhere in this guide, and which we’ll repeat to make sure the point is clear, there is no “best” system—the right system for your organization is the one that helps you do your work better and more efficiently. As you begin to assess your own needs, it can be helpful to understand the features and functions available among the systems in this guide to meet them.
Remember, there’s often an inverse relationship between functionality and ease of use. Systems with more advanced functionality—or that have more features—can seem daunting to non-technical staff.
When considering ease of use, keep a few questions in mind:
- Are screens neatly laid out, with clear links and action buttons?
- Does the design help you see important information?
- Are fields and functions intuitively named and easy to find?
The order of steps to follow also matters. Do you select a set of constituents, then choose an action? Or do you choose an action first, then select the set of constituents? Either can work, but make sure the system makes the order clear—and that the order fits the way you prefer to work.
It’s OK for software to have a learning curve, but it should be learnable—if staff need cheat sheets or guesswork to run basic processes, they’re more likely to opt out of using the system or resort to workarounds, making your investment in the new software a waste of time and money.
Systems should not just support basic users, they should also effectively support power users—in this case, often development staff members who spend hours each day using the tools. Being able to quickly add gifts, find information, and run the right queries and reports can make a big difference in their efficiency and win over their support for the system.