Many companies prefer custom software over off-the-shelf solutions. In 2024, the custom software market was worth an estimated estimated $4.3 billion and is expected to soar beyond $52 billion by the end of 2025. Custom software allows companies to produce solutions that are fully aligned with their organizational objectives and create truly tailored user experiences.
However, not every custom software project is a success. Unsure as to whether your recent custom software venture has proved fruitful? You’ll need to turn to success metrics. However, in the case of custom software, some metrics are more important than others.
Performance
Performance metrics are a true test of any custom software, giving you a clear idea of how well software actually performs. Everything from system reliability to response times can be assessed, with performance metrics crucial in ensuring software performs optimally and delivers a superior experience for the end user.
One of the most useful performance metrics you’ll want to concentrate on is response times. These give you a good idea of how well software is responding to requests. You’ll also want to consider downtime to determine system availability, as well as how well software performs during peak times. Looking to create custom software that outperforms the competition? Head to the Pixel Fusion website to find out more.
User Satisfaction
User feedback is invaluable. With the right user insights, you can capture a clear idea of how well your software is functioning and assess its usability. You’ll also gain vital feedback regarding user experience. You can collect user feedback in many ways. Surveys and satisfaction scores are the simplest, with interviews allowing you to ask more probing questions and hammer out more useful insights.
To get an idea of how users are interacting with your software, you’ll need to mine several key user experience metrics, with user engagement and retention rates being particularly useful in gauging success.
Security and Compliance
If you’ve invested in a bespoke software solution, you’ll want to ensure it passes muster when it comes to security and compliance. Security metrics target everything from vulnerabilities to data breaches, with insights gained giving you a clear idea of how secure your software actually is.
Compliance also needs to be taken into account and is a necessity when operating within certain sectors, such as the healthcare industry. By using compliance metrics, you can be confident that your software is fully aligned with the latest legal obligations.
ROI
Ultimately, the bottom line counts. If your custom software is to be a success, it needs to demonstrate a healthy ROI. You can use cost metrics to determine your return on investment, while it also makes sense to track expenses incurred during the development cycle. You’ll also want to factor in additional maintenance expenses to properly ascertain whether a project has been a financial success.
Other Useful Expense Metrics
The metrics we’ve outlined above are just the tip of the iceberg. You can also use time-to-market metrics to see how well project timelines performed against estimates and delve into the reason behind any delays. To identify how well your software will handle growth, you can also turn to scalability and performance metrics. Meanwhile, bug tracking metrics allow you to pinpoint and resolve any software issues as they arise, while turnaround times for applying fixes are another handy metric to have at your disposal.
