Aqilla, the cloud-based intelligent accounting and reporting application, today announced a re-engineered interface for an improved customer experience that also supports responsive design behaviour when used on tablets and other mobile devices. The latest release introduces a whole new fresh look and feel while retaining all of the solid underlying functionality with which Aqilla customers are familiar.
Aqilla worked closely with Cambridge-based user experience (UX) expert Dovetailed to research user habits when using the platform, focusing on the most common tasks undertaken, who does them, and when. The findings revealed a surge in customers wanting to use the software on devices other than a computer or laptop, which aligns with a broader trend that sees more customers wanting to use cloud-based software ‘on the go’. Google’s G Suite is a good example; its bundle of productivity software that can be used across laptops, computers, tablets and smartphones had over six million paying businesses in March last year.
It’s also indicative of the increased need for companies to stay agile. Many have been — and continue to be — impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, fundamental changes to working practices have prompted many organisations to look for flexible, efficient business processes to switch to cloud computing – with 61 percent of organisations focused on cloud migration in 2020.
Aqilla founder and CEO Hugh Scantlebury commented: “Our online accounting platform has many users across our mid-market customer base, and all of them use Aqilla as their main work tool. Our goal was to develop a range of interface arrangements that more readily accepts ‘responsive design’ behaviour when used on tablets and other mobile devices.”
Commenting on the look and functionality, Dovetailed Creative Director Lele Gestoso Saa said: “The challenge with Aqilla’s new look and functionality was to create a smoother and fresher user experience without moving too far away from what their users were used to. Through our expertise we defined two personas based on the most common users and tasks of Aqilla’s software and identified opportunities for improvements in their user flows. We also developed several potential colour schemes and icons to freshen up the application to a more contemporary look.”