I downloaded a truly useful app the other day, one of the few that actually makes my life easier.

I was about halfway through the weekly shop – the big one for whole the family – but I wasn’t at my usual grocery store. The trolley was already overflowing when it hit me: I would have to go through an old-fashioned checkout. You see, my dislocation meant that I was missing the handheld scanning gadget that I always use at my regular supermarket.

I was rescued by a big plastic banner touting a QR code. It invited me to download the chain’s scan-while-you-shop app, which I could start using right away. I clicked, and away we went. It worked immediately, turning my mobile into my very own scanning gadget. I jumped past the queue and avoided the mind-numbing unpacking and repacking of my groceries. It made my job easier, which made me happy.

Grocery shopping isn’t something I really like to do. The app made it easier. It was available when I needed it, it was very simple to use (it doesn’t have a load of unnecessary bells and whistles), and I could start using it right away. What’s not to like?

Later I Googled the app to learn about its development (I’m a little geeky that way, okay?). I found the press release that the grocery chain issued when they first released the thing.

This part stuck with me: “We spoke to customers, and asked them what they wanted. They said they would like a simple app that lets them scan and shop with their phone, not some recycled handset that a zillion other people had held in their greasy, infectious fingers.”

Okay, I admit that I embellished the quotation a little bit, but it’s a powerful message for people who design and build technology for the insurance sector. Rules to live by, even. To solve the real problems that underwriters, brokers, and claims managers experience every day, just ask them what they want. Don’t settle for “a better exposure management system”. You really need to understand their pain points.

When you do, you can create apps that make your users’ lives easier. Give them what they need exactly when and where they need it. Make your application easy to understand and intuitive to use. If we listen, we can build apps that eliminate the pain – especially the mind-numbing, repetitive drudge work. That should make everyone happy.

Guillaume Bonnissent is Chief Executive of Quotech.