Dave Sager

Background

About Dave Sager

I am a results-based individual with experience in all levels of information technology. I have worked in software (for manufacturing, government, and credit unions), insurance, service, and manufacturing. Most of my career has been spent either creating new software applications, modifying existing ones, reviewing / acquiring packaged solutions, and then deploying, training, and supporting them. Over the years I have found that the real key to successful software applications comes down to giving people what they want. Unless you are a software company, your product is not software. If your product is not software then all investment into technology is an expense. The trick is to make sure there is a return on that investment. How an application interacts with people can have unintended consequences. For whatever reason, peoples' use of software becomes personal. If someone likes how screens look and feel, even if they don't agree with having to do it, that person usually ends up liking that task. Conversely, if the screens presented are confusing, frustrating, or just downright lousy, then even if the person really believed (or originated) the process they'll end up disliking it. I have rarely witnessed these effects when people interact with anything else. Whether we want to admit it or not, software is often the face of our company. Software needs to strike a cord with its users. It cannot be impersonal. Whether it is something as simple as adding a bit of color to a black and white page or acknowledging holidays, taking the time to include little bits of the corporate culture into your software can have significant payback.