3 Types of End-User Computing to Watch Out For

End-user computing (EUC) is one of the more misused terms in the business world. While different organizations might disagree about the exact definition of the term, in general it refers to any interface that allows users to ‘program’ computers without the need for any knowledge of coding.

A common example would be a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. There’s a strong programming element to it, with users able to create spreadsheets to calculate practically anything for them. However, there’s no need to know any coding languages to use it, as its interface replaces all that with its own commands and formulae.

However, this area of IT is changing, and different areas of EUC are becoming more prominent. If you’re working - or planning to work - in the field, you’ll want to keep up with some of the interfaces that are becoming more common, as well as more effective. Here are three emerging types of EUC you should be watching out for:

1. Bots

One of the biggest EUC explosions of the last few years has been the rise of bots, particularly chatbots. Around 23% of all service organizations currently use the technology, with another 31% expecting to leverage chatbots within the next 18 months, which is a growth rate of 136%.

While some might think that a chatbot would provide poor-quality customer service, they’re already integrating well with society. One report found that 27% of US adults are already willing to purchase goods through a chatbot, and 16% of adults have one in their home in the form of a smart speaker like Amazon Alexa.

With 40% of consumers not caring whether a human or an AI serves them as long as they get the help they need, it’s clear that the main barrier to general acceptance of bots is their effectiveness. The challenge when designing them is to be able to cover as many possible queries as you can, as well as factoring in when to direct people to a human operator instead.

2. AI

Over the past four years, the number of organizations utilizing AI has shot up by 270%, with 37% of enterprises using the technology. Of course, not all of this has been in the field of EUC, but it’s a clear sign of how much is being invested in AI in general. It’s thought that by 2025, this field will be a $118.6 billion industry.

While there are a number of different uses for the technology, AI - and in particular, machine learning - can be extremely useful in EUC. By ‘teaching’ algorithms to solve certain problems, users can craft AIs to resolve the issues their business is facing without needing any knowledge of coding.

Use of AI has proven benefits for businesses, with more than half of marketers using an AI-powered platform of some kind and 76% of recruiters and hiring managers believing it will significantly impact their industry. It’s no surprise to see how it’s becoming an up-and-coming type of EUC.

3. Analytics

The clearest example of analytics being used as a form of EUC is the Google Analytics platform, which provides a customizable interface companies can use to track various different forms of website data. However, there are plenty of other situations where analytics has been used as a type of EUC.

This is fast becoming an absolute necessity for businesses, with the International Data Corporation estimating that by 2025, 163 zettabytes (the equivalent of 163 trillion gigabytes) of data will be created worldwide each year. While not all of this will be subject to analysis,

it’s thought that 5.2 zettabytes will be.

Companies are increasingly becoming fully data-driven, and those that use analytics to inform decisions are growing by an average of 30% each year. Another study found data-driven businesses are:

• 23 times more likely to gain new customers
• Six times more likely to retain them
• 19 times more likely to be profitable

It’s clear this is a form of EUC that can have very positive results, and should be watched for.