What Does “Clunky” really mean?

“Clunky.” It’s a word I hear a lot in meetings when people describe the software they’re currently using. I know exactly what they mean, yet if you asked me to define it, I’d probably struggle! Officially, it means something that’s heavy, outdated, and not well-designed. And sure, it’s tempting to “clunk shame” when schools come to us seeking an alternative to their current system. But the truth is, there’s a lot more to it than just “clunky” design.

Most of us are used to sleek, lightning-fast software like Facebook or TikTok, which are funded by massive advertising revenue streams. These systems are free to use and packed with innovative features. But in the education sector, things look very different. Choices are more limited, especially when it comes to data security. Every tech decision must be centred on keeping children’s data safe, which means we can’t simply plug in the latest flashy third-party tools without vetting them. Recently, we had a request to integrate an image collaging tool. After investigating, 

we found that data sharing, storage, and access protocols didn’t meet our standards, so we would have to build the feature ourselves instead if we wanted it.

But creating custom solutions takes time, and this can make educational software feel out-of-date compared to other, faster-evolving platforms. Evisense itself was initially built using the latest tech back in 2016. Since then, we’ve spent countless hours upgrading the back end to keep everything secure, which means some visual updates have to take a back seat. Before you know it, software can be labelled as “clunky” – even if the reason for the lack of design update stems from the right priorities.

So, how have we tackled this challenge with Evisense going forward? We started our new version with a team of UI/UX professionals – people who study human psychology and design, making sure Evisense is intuitive and user-friendly (getting programmers to design user interfaces is rarely a good idea). We then chose tools that allow us to update Evisense more easily and put it on a cloud that allows Evisense to grow with schools’ needs. Now, instead of endless maintenance, we can focus more of our time on adding features and refining the experience.

For our users, this approach means Evisense stays up-to-date, functional, and, yes, hopefully far from “clunky.” We’re dedicated to keeping it that way, without compromising on what matters most.