If you are running a digital service or software, whether it’s customer-facing or only used internally, it's crucial to regularly assess whether your existing software is keeping pace. Ignoring the signs that it might be time for an upgrade or a complete redesign can lead to lost opportunities, customer dissatisfaction, and even significant business risks.

This practical checklist will help you start evaluating your software's current state and determine if it's time to take a deeper look at its functionality and foundation.

Checklist item #1: Customer satisfaction and value

Do you know if your users are happy, and is your software providing real value? Are there usability issues causing frustration? How are you measuring user satisfaction? Do your competitors offer better or different experiences

Usability issues, user satisfaction metrics, and competitive offerings should always be considered when developing and maintaining existing software. Neglecting user satisfaction risks losing current customers and hindering new customer acquisition. We all know that a positive first impression is crucial!

Understanding your customers and their behavior allows you to serve them better and make informed decisions, ensuring your digital business is guided by data, not opinions or biases.

One quick and cost-effective way to better understand your customers is to conduct a simple user interface (UI) or user experience (UX) evaluation, or simply have a designer skilled in UX design review your service. This doesn't have to be expensive; in just a couple of days of work, you can gain new insights and ideas about how your users experience your service. You can read more about maintaining user experience in our blog post: "Three ways to maintain the user experience of your digital service."

Checklist item #2: Performance and scalability

Is slowness becoming a problem for your users? If your user base grows significantly, can your service handle the increased load? Is your current software version hindering growth into new markets or with new users?

The sad truth is that performance and scalability issues can impede growth. Planning ahead and understanding your service's performance capabilities can prevent unexpected investments and ensure smooth expansion into new markets and target audiences.

If you're having problems with slowness, a lightweight performance and/or architecture review by a specialist could be a good starting point. Contact us to get started!

Checklist item #3: System knowledge and modern requirements

Can you confidently say you understand your system and how it functions? Does it meet modern needs, including potential data security regulations and accessibility guidelines? Is your system's operation regularly audited and evaluated?

Regulations can feel like a pain, but addressing these areas proactively will prevent security vulnerabilities, support growth, and ensure compliance with regulations before something inconvenient happens. Remember, your software might even become non-compliant with particular regulations, such as accessibility and data protection directives, which can lead to hefty monetary penalties!

Checklist item #4: Readiness for AI and data applications

Do you want to implement AI or data-driven applications? Do you know if your current system can support this, and are you collecting the right kind of data? Proactively addressing these questions enables the implementation of new features and the leveraging of modern trends. Accurate data leads to informed decisions and allows you to capitalize on new technologies.

For example, data-driven decision-making or using your own data for AI purposes is only possible if you are collecting the right kind of data. This will ensure that you have all the information you need to move forward strategically. The right tools, combined with high-quality data, will empower your business to make the best decisions possible.

By ensuring that your underlying structures are robust and your service meets current standards, you will be able to take advantage of new solutions and efficiency boosts as they become available.

Don't ignore the opportunity for improvement

By honestly answering the questions presented in this blog post, you can gain valuable insights into the health of your current software. Addressing these points proactively can save you significant time and money, and streamline future improvements. Evaluating your software is an opportunity to enhance customer satisfaction, support growth, and leverage technological advancements.

If you feel that something should be done with your digital service but don’t know how to start, please feel free to contact us with any questions. We are here to help you.

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This blog post about evaluating whether software requires an upgrade or a redesign was written by Emmi Lehto, who leads the Kodan Skaala business at Kodan.