TO ATLASSIAN
Your website asked for honest feedback about Jira. I don't usually complain, but I will accept your invitation to speak frankly here.
Jira’s functionality is 10 time better than Jira's interface (UI/UX). That may sound like a compliment, but it is not.
Our department has been using Jira for several weeks. So far, the software is making our people feel stupid. They begin sentences with, "I must be dumb, but I cannot find the ______." As a lifelong designer, I know that whenever the user feels stupid, it is almost always the UX designer's fault.
Atlassian is surely aware of how problematic Jira's UX is. The interface is negatively mentioned in countless reviews, blogs, and posts. To its credit, Atlassian is transparent about users views of Jira’s interface.
Here is a very revealing clue concerning Jira's UX problems. I find that every user is baffled by something completely different. That scattered pattern seems unusual. If, for example, you sold staplers and users were accidentally poking their fingers with staples, that single symptom would point towards a needed solution. However, Jira users here do not have one consistent complaint.
Every developer has their own frustration with Jira. The same is true for every UI/UX designer and product owner. No two people complain about the same things. When asked for their frank opinion of Jira, they admit they are mostly frustrated by it.
For whatever reason (stellar marketing?), frustrated users blame themselves for not using Jira “correctly". That could be good for Atlassian, but it’s not. First, users who blindly trudge through software use only a fraction of its potential. Second, frustrated users eagerly take every chance to avoid, skip, or workaround Jira. Therefore, team members require constant coaching for making errors that are not really their fault.
Where is the opportunity for Jira to improve? Given all of the above, that's an important, lucrative, and existential question. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was taught, "Every problem contains and suggests its own solution."
So, what is the solution to good software trapped inside a woeful UX? Heal the "skin" of Jira rather than just swimming faster through the water. Said more simply, fix the damn interface.
P.S. I don't usually complain. But the Jira website asked for feedback, so there's mine.
