Usability in B2B Software Development

Software engineering often overlooks the benefits and practicality of usability when working in customer-heavy settings. Previous research and extant methodologies in software development have focused on the primary business model, while alternative approaches such as business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) have not received much attention. This paper describes a study that deploys Eisenhardt's case study research method to explore the challenges of B2B software development from three perspectives: end-user, client, and developer. The paper also introduces six techniques that improve usability in business-to-business software development that are based on agile approaches. The findings from this paper provide a context for and an approach to future research in B2B software development.