Thoroughbred Solutions: Product Development using Human-Centered Design
Patrick B. Parker, CEO One of the determining factors in achieving widespread adoption for all software applications is user-experience. The easier the product is to use, the more users it will ultimately attract and retain. Organizations frequently purchase generic software that is tough to navigate and then they fail to provide adequate training to their admins and end users, which results in fundamental gaps in terms of how the business operates and how the product interacts with other critical systems. As a result, organizations are forced to alter their internal business processes based on the limitations of the off-the-shelf products that they purchased. In an ideal world, every small business would have software tailored to the delivery of their specific services and products. "Our overall approach is to incorporate the human element in the products we create, right from the beginning, to address the human perspective of the problem upfront,"
Thoroughbred Solutions specializes in growing businesses through custom software and mobile application development. Patrick B. Parker and his partners have several decades of collective experience in IT consulting across both private and public sectors. They realized early on that the approaches taken in designing, developing, and implementing software were missing a key component – the human element. Leveraging their in-depth knowledge of business operations and enterprise software application architecture, Parker and team founded Thoroughbred Solutions to adequately capture the usability aspect focused around human-centered design in all of the products they deliver—be it mobile applications for iOS or android, or custom web applications. "Our overall approach is to incorporate the human element in the products we create, right from the beginning, to address the human perspective of the problem upfront," says Parker, CEO of Thoroughbred Solutions.
Elaborating on the challenges of today’s applications, Parker cites several examples of how small and medium-sized firms struggle with emerging communication needs and their attempts at using Facebook or LinkedIn groups as a viable option.
The issue with these social platforms as business communication tools is their inability to segregate business-related topics from personal interests, leading to endless distractions and unfiltered notifications that cause business communication to get lost in the noise. Yet, most businesses have to make do with these applications and adapt to them even if the features do not fit their needs due to a lack of alternative options. The current COVID-19 crisis has made business owners more aware that communication tools for working remotely are needed now more than ever.
In response to these challenges, Thoroughbred Solutions is launching applications that provide organization and support to teams that are displaced. For example, Our Tribe is a social platform designed to give businesses a dedicated social media platform for business free from distractions. In other words, Our Tribe enables teams to focus on what is critical by eliminating the noise. Similarly, the company is working on other products that help solve the common business problem of process automation through program delivery and community engagement. “Using process automation, we help businesses win back the time required to focus on building their actual business, instead of having to manage and oversee the same repeatable processes manually,” asserts Parker.
Simplified Product Delivery
Thoroughbred Solutions begins each client relationship by understanding the client’s vision and pain points and then working backwards through their requirements to come up with a custom software solution. It starts with storyboarding and identifying the innovative concepts that will comprise the solution, which are then sent to stakeholders for approval.
Using process automation, we help businesses win back the time required to focus on building their actual business, instead of having to manage and oversee the same repeatable processes manually
In response to these challenges, Thoroughbred Solutions is launching applications that provide organization and support to teams that are displaced. For example, Our Tribe is a social platform designed to give businesses a dedicated social media platform for business free from distractions. In other words, Our Tribe enables teams to focus on what is critical by eliminating the noise. Similarly, the company is working on other products that help solve the common business problem of process automation through program delivery and community engagement. “Using process automation, we help businesses win back the time required to focus on building their actual business, instead of having to manage and oversee the same repeatable processes manually,” asserts Parker.
Simplified Product Delivery
Thoroughbred Solutions begins each client relationship by understanding the client’s vision and pain points and then working backwards through their requirements to come up with a custom software solution. It starts with storyboarding and identifying the innovative concepts that will comprise the solution, which are then sent to stakeholders for approval.
Post-approval, the company goes through several iterations of rapid prototyping to solicit feedback from the client to ensure that they get appropriate buy-in. “The benefits achieved in taking this approach include building a superior user experience, increased user adoption and a trained workforce that is able to utilize the software to work more efficiently and effectively,” says Parker. "At the end of the day, we aim to provide custom software development services to empower clients with seamless integration capabilities into their existing operating environment in support of their business processes," adds Parker.
Client Engagement is the Key
Thoroughbred Solutions goes the extra mile in terms of client engagement and training to ensure that the end-users are experts at using the platform and that the clients understand the platform’s capabilities, limitations, and usability of data analytic tools and drivers. This helps reduce the overall support cost of the platform because the clients are not only trained to use the system, but also trained as super users in configuring the platform themselves to keep it well-maintained and operational. In addition, the company leverages data science and deep analytics to make clients understand the possible opportunities for growth and refinement, based on the data provided, helping them identify where they can continue to scale or build out their business and increase their offerings.
With an extensive network of partners and clientele since 2017, Thoroughbred Solutions has experienced solid year-over-year growth by offering multiple software-as-a-service products and developing custom applications for clients. In a recent implementation, Thoroughbred Solutions designed and built SPRNG, a SaaS platform focused on program delivery for health and wellness professionals, which will launch commercially in August. Their partner for this platform, a client working in the health and wellness industry, faced the common problem of continuously trading time for money and experience instead of automating key business processes. Thoroughbred Solutions built a beta version, or trial software, for the SPRNG platform, with which the client was able to grow her business from about $800,000 in revenue in 2018 to over $2.2Mn in revenue in just 14 months’ time using automated program delivery. SPRNG is also offering a white labeled version to other interested health and wellness professionals. Besides carrying out health and wellness functions, the multi-tenant platform helped the client save ample time to focus on their outreach and marketing programs. To date, Thoroughbred Solutions’ clients have experienced average revenue increases of over 50 percent through process automation and the resulting free time that they have won back allowing them to pursue expansion.
Client Engagement is the Key
Thoroughbred Solutions goes the extra mile in terms of client engagement and training to ensure that the end-users are experts at using the platform and that the clients understand the platform’s capabilities, limitations, and usability of data analytic tools and drivers. This helps reduce the overall support cost of the platform because the clients are not only trained to use the system, but also trained as super users in configuring the platform themselves to keep it well-maintained and operational. In addition, the company leverages data science and deep analytics to make clients understand the possible opportunities for growth and refinement, based on the data provided, helping them identify where they can continue to scale or build out their business and increase their offerings.
With an extensive network of partners and clientele since 2017, Thoroughbred Solutions has experienced solid year-over-year growth by offering multiple software-as-a-service products and developing custom applications for clients. In a recent implementation, Thoroughbred Solutions designed and built SPRNG, a SaaS platform focused on program delivery for health and wellness professionals, which will launch commercially in August. Their partner for this platform, a client working in the health and wellness industry, faced the common problem of continuously trading time for money and experience instead of automating key business processes. Thoroughbred Solutions built a beta version, or trial software, for the SPRNG platform, with which the client was able to grow her business from about $800,000 in revenue in 2018 to over $2.2Mn in revenue in just 14 months’ time using automated program delivery. SPRNG is also offering a white labeled version to other interested health and wellness professionals. Besides carrying out health and wellness functions, the multi-tenant platform helped the client save ample time to focus on their outreach and marketing programs. To date, Thoroughbred Solutions’ clients have experienced average revenue increases of over 50 percent through process automation and the resulting free time that they have won back allowing them to pursue expansion.
Company
Thoroughbred Solutions
Headquarters
Lexington, KY
Management
Patrick B. Parker, CEO
Description
Thoroughbred Solutions specializes in growing businesses through custom software and mobile application development. Thoroughbred Solutions begins each client relationship by understanding the client’s vision and pain points and then working backwards through their requirements to come up with a custom software solution. It starts with storyboarding and identifying the innovative concepts that will comprise the solution, which are then sent to stakeholders for approval. Post-approval, the company goes through several iterations of rapid prototyping to solicit feedback from the client to ensure that they get appropriate buy-in.
