Flowboard: a business app supporting in repetitive tasks management

How we helped Log Systems in creating a mobile app allowing processes automatization, remote tasks delegation and work improvement in sales, administration, HR and other departments?

Challenge

Flowboard is a system following the trend of processes optimization, enabling effective process management and automatic task delegation in companies. It improves daily repetitive tasks and activities by selecting processes to be implemented, and then automatically assigning specific tasks to employers based on their competence and availability. The application provides catalogues of ready processes consisting of several or more tasks, it also allows to create your own processes and modify already existing ones - by designing processes and tasks according to your own needs.

 

Our task was to design and implement a mobile app running on iOS and Android operating systems, based on already existing web application. Mobile app was created to enable employees to manage processes and tasks without need to work constantly at the computer, behind the desk. It also provides new solutions and functionalities such as attaching comments and photos to specific processes and push notifications about new tasks and comments.

Project assumptions

We started creating new project with a thorough analysis, although many project assumptions we could base on an existing web application. However, we decided to begin with additional, in-depth analysis - redefine problems, formulate hypothesis and rethink all project assumptions - to optimize app in terms of user experience. For this purpose, we defined personas - characteristics of representatives of each target group - which helped us to determine type of people we design for: what are their main needs, motivations, problems. Target group analysis paved us the way to explore competitive solutions and to find ways to build up a market advantage. Identifying strengths and weaknesses of already working on services indicated what should be a priority in further project stages.

As a result of the research, we prepared a list of questions and problem, which we should solve. We found answers to questions and problems arising from analysis by using a method “How might we…”. It consists in formulating a problem as a simple question starting “How might we…” - and finding an optimal solution. Three most important tasks and goals are illustrated in graphics below. They became an inspiration for the chosen solutions. 

Prototypes, user flow schemes, mockups

Final actions taken before moving to the proper design included preparing moodboards, gathering stylistic inspirations and designing userflow - a condensed map of screens and app functions - based on previous arrangements relating to users needs and preferences. Next step was to draw key application screens, what helped us to verify whether project is still in line with previous assumptions and analysis.  

Then, we digitized the vision by preparing low-fidelity mock-ups. Mock-ups are made to verify the validity of previously prepared concepts on paper, on the screen. If there are some doubts, they allow to quickly create a makeshift prototype and eliminate wrong ideas through testing.

 

Technology

A part of already existing Flowboard web application was made using Angular, that’s why we have decided to base mobile app on innovative, dynamic developing native technology, using NativeScript framework cooperating with mentioned Angular.

   

One of the biggest challenges for this project was generating fast and well-functioning dynamic forms depending on specific process defined on the backend side.

In addition, we developed our own dedicated method, which allowed us to solve the problem of custom routings in tabs, thus overtaking possibilities available in NativeScript at that time.

As a result, in cooperation with Log Systems, we created a fully functional and user friendly mobile app enabling efficient processes management. Push notifications developed with Firebase inform about actions in processes and tasks. What’s more, users can add photos and comments to certain tasks.

    

Conclusions

As a part of the work over several months of our cooperation with Log Systems:

• we conducted UX research analysis,

• we designed new UI for mobile app,

• we developed iOS and Android app,

• we implemented Flowboard app on AppStore and Google Play.

 

The mobile version of Flowboard extends functionality of the web app, not only enabling processes automation, but also allowing remote reporting, checking and managing daily tasks, regardless of user’s location and without having access to the computer.

    

Do you have a mobile app idea? Contact us to arrange a casual conversation about your project.