UX is more than a design detail
For years, UX was treated as a secondary concern in finance tools — something to improve “once everything else was sorted.” That thinking no longer holds. In modern finance operations, UX is the operational backbone that determines how smoothly the organisation runs.
When tools feel slow or force people through unnecessary steps, everyday tasks trigger follow-up, delays, and the kind of invisible work we now recognise as shadow work.
The opposite is equally true. When systems are intuitive, the work keeps moving, decisions fall into place faster, and teams stay focused on what strengthens the business — opening the door for meaningful outcomes.
The true price of poor UX
Unclear workflows, too many steps, and fragmented systems turn everyday finance tasks into constant interruptions. On average, employees lose around 7 hours per week to this kind of friction. Each interruption breaks focus. And once focus slips, the ripple effects begin: approvals slow, decisions pile up, and teams spend more time recovering from disruption than moving the organisation forward.
The human cost is just as real. 80% of employees describe these frictions as disruptive, and nearly half say it contributes to burnout. Extra clicks, missing context, unclear next steps, and tools that make simple actions harder than they should be.
And when UX gets bad enough, people don’t push through it — they route around it. Travel gets booked outside the system, expenses are tracked elsewhere, and approvals happen in chats, long after the spend has occurred.
Strong UX breaks this cycle. When tools are intuitive, fast, and aligned with how people actually work, adoption happens naturally. Spend stays in the system, policies are followed by default, and finance keeps visibility and control, without adding friction.
What “Good UX” actually means for Finance teams
Designing for focus starts with a simple principle: people shouldn’t have to think about the tool. The tool should lighten the work.
Here are the core UX elements that actively reduce cognitive load and eliminate shadow work:
1. Clarity that removes hesitation
Clear navigation, simple language, and a logical sequence minimise the effort required to move through a task. When interfaces present the right fields, the right options, and the right guidance, tasks stay minimal and straightforward.
2. Information that’s instantly available
People shouldn’t have to dig for answers. Strong UX surfaces key information before a question arises: spend limits, policy rules, required fields, warnings, approval status, and next steps. When the system anticipates what someone needs, it prevents backtracking and avoidable errors.
3. Automation that removes repetitive work
UX isn’t only what people see; it’s also what the system quietly handles for them: data extraction, categorisation, policy checks, and approval routing. The less manual input required, the fewer errors and follow-ups the workflow creates.
4. Interfaces that guide without overwhelming
Good UX uses structure to guide people naturally:
clean layouts
smart defaults
only the necessary choices are presented at once
subtle prompts that highlight what needs attention
5. Consistency across every part of the workflow
When each step looks and behaves differently, people slow down.Consistent patterns (e.g., the same labels, button behaviours, and flow logic) build familiarity and speed. The tool becomes easy to use because nothing feels unexpected.
UX as a true competitive edge
When UX removes friction from everyday workflows and keeps work inside the system, the entire organisation benefits.
It strengthens financial accuracy and control
When information is clear, surfaced at the right moment, and validated automatically, people make fewer mistakes and finance teams work with higher-quality data from the start.
It increases speed without increasing oversight
Teams no longer wait for context, clarification, or corrections.With clear steps, visible requirements, and automated checks baked in, tasks move forward without supervision. The result is faster progress with less manual review.
It boosts employee satisfaction and reduces turnover risk
When UX removes the friction behind disruptive tasks, frustration drops, confidence rises, and people reclaim time for meaningful work. In that sense, strong UX becomes a retention strategy.
Explore Perk: UX that powers real work
If you’re working to reduce shadow work and build an environment where breakthroughs aren’t slowed by admin, you can explore Perk in a live demo or connect with our team to discuss your workflow needs.
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