As a prelude to the roadmap 2011-12 that will be published in the next few days, let me reveal one of the many exciting things we plan to do: A touch/mobile interface for Openbravo 3.
(Credit: US PTO/Apple)
The advantages are clear. A mobile enterprise can benefit from a higher workforce productivity - up to 45% [1], faster decision-making and increased employee satisfaction.
Openbravo 3 has a highly sophisticated architecture where the GUI is defined in metadata. This allows us to easily optimize the GUI for smaller screens and touch interfaces.
Simplification is critical in designing for touch/mobile. Too often mobile apps or sites try to mimic their desktop siblings without looking at the specific opportunities and constraints of mobile devices. We intend not to do the same.
At this point I´m trying to get a grip on which business tasks are essential for mobile. We aim to make all functionality of Openbravo 3 accessible through mobile devices but at the same time we need to make sure that the user experience of the key flows is superb. Let´s focus on what´s important first.
Here are some examples of tasks that could be candidates:
- A manager approving employee expenses while traveling
- A sales rep placing an order together with the customer
- A sales director checking the sales figures before a meeting with his team
- A CFO checking the financial health of the company in a chart in a widget on his mobile phone
- A shop owner using her tablet as both a POS and ERP
- A warehouse person picking orders using his tablet
- A sales rep being notified that a customer placed an order that cannot be delivered because it is out of stock
Now I´d like to know what would be the typical tasks for your business (or your customer) while away from the desk.
Throw your ideas at us in the comments, via Google+ or Facebook, thanks!
[1] bfrench:"Survey: Mobile Apps Increase Enterprise Performance and Productivity Advantages, Top Three Mobile App Strategies Gain Momentum". iPad CTO. Retrieved 8/11/2011.