The goal of the Celsus Onsite product was to completely replace existing paper-based systems for capturing measurements, designing and ordering products from any location. The typical existing system involved the user taking measurements at the customer's location (a building site or domestic residence for example) and writing down the values on a piece of paper along with some more information on the user. Later, the user would transfer the measurements onto an order form and draw diagrams to represent the design of the products which would fit the measurements. The challenges of replicating (and improving!) the existing systems on a mobile device with a small screen and limited input capacity resulted in several innovations in terms of user interface design.
Job Catalogue
The core of the Onsite user interface is a multi-level tree structure which displays all the Builders, Estates, and Houses in the user's job catalogue. Each time the system is launched, new items that have been created by the administration system are automatically added to the tree. New items can be created quickly and easily on the mobile device and are automatically synchronized with the central database. With the paper-based system, a user's job history is typically split over multiple order books and there may not be any conventions or processes for storing measurements taken at job sites for validation purposes. The OnSite system allows the user to browse or search through their entire job history quickly and easily, using a very simple and intuitive interface.
Measurement Capture
The measurement capture screen of the OnSite system had to enable the user to record a lot of information while minimising the need for manual input on the device. During this task, the user can survey an entire building with most of the actions being driven by an external measuring device which interacts with the system over a Bluetooth connection. Because the user is often using both hands to operate the measuring device, it is beneficial to have as little interaction with the OnSite device as possible. The only interactions required from the user are the selection of the side and level of the building being surveyed, and the particular type of item being measured, if it is a non-standard design. Each time a measurement is received by the system, the data is validated, and the next data-entry field is highlighted. The user receives audio feedback that indicates whether or not the data has been accepted, meaning that the user's main focus can stay directed on the measuring device and the item being measured. Once a building has been surveyed, the user can easily review and amend all the data that has been captured. The measurement capture screen displays to the user, at a glance, the side and level of a building they are surveying, the number of items on that particular side and level, the status and various properties of the item being measured, and the validity of the values being recored on the measureing device. The interface also allows the user to edit this information quickly and easily, put prevents accidental interaction and the entry of invalid data.
Product Design
Another challenging area in terms of UI design was the product configuration and design process. The process of designing windows, doors etc. on a desktop environment would usually involve multiple diagrams, pop-up dialogs, menus, toolboxes etc. but in the OnSite system for mobile devices where screen space is limited, a product can be specified in a simple step by step wizard interface. Standard items can be designed quickly and efficiently, while more complex items can be created based on product templates which are centrally managed and distributed to each of the mobile devices on a continuous basis. Items that are designed on the device can be saved as templates for future use, speeding up the process and greatly reducing repetition of input. The user receives constant and clear feedback to ensure that products being specified meet with validation criteria throughout the design process.
The design of the interfaces above involved many, many scribble-filled whiteboards and lots of head scratching, but all the hard work is validated by the positive experiences of the OnSite users!
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