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Project Overview
How do you take a server-installed app that ten thousand people rely on to run their businesses and give them access to the mission-critical information they need while out on the go?
Organisation
Team
Cam Trollope - Lead Interface & Interaction designer
Pius Jeon - Lead Developer
Aaron Green - Project sponsor & stakeholder
Project Brief
Streamtime is a long established and successful company, well respected in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and around the world as a sector-leading maker of studio management software for creative companies.
The challenge was to create a web app that dovetails into a Streamtime customer's existing studio-based server software, allowing them to access their quotes and jobs, do their timesheets and more from anywhere at anytime on pretty much any device.
The design took a 'mobile first', 'touch' optimised approach, which meant that while the app was designed initially for touchscreen smartphones, it worked in any web browser because of its liquid design and was launched early. The team then added in responsive breakpoints for tablets and desktop devices, meaning that the user experience is well tailored for any size screen that accesses the system.
With the prevalence of touchscreen devices, it was imperative that the interface design cater for this, so users will find that not only menus, buttons, fonts, and the like are designed for touch, but we also optimise the design for different contexts, for example, by limiting the amount of information users need to enter on mobile devices, and progressively reveal more details as they need it.
Project Need
As more and more design businesses get their work done outside the traditional 9 to 5 office based setting, their need for Streamtime to be accessible from anywhere on the device that happens to be on hand is becoming integral to the running of their business. It's no longer enough to wait till you're back in the office to send that quote, check the status of a job, or submit that time entry.
Streamtime customers love the speed and security of their installed studio based software, but want the features that 'cloud' based software brings like anywhere, anytime access from a standard web browser.
User Experience
The Streamtime web app adapts to the device accessing it, and the user experience has been considered for a number of common devices including smartphones, tablets and desktops. The experience principle 'simplicity, speed, and ease' guided the visual design and interaction design. Key features of this work are strong compelling but simple design, making the ‘mundane’ of filling out timesheets and updating quotes and jobs into an appealing and enjoyable experience.
After entering their login details, users are taken to their timesheet where they can quickly and seamlessly enter time for the day or for any day in the past. Assigned tasks can be viewed in a pop-out panel on the right when in tablet mode, or alongside the timesheet when in desktop mode.
Intelligent details are built into the app like when in desktop mode and adding a time entry, the search input on certain dropdowns defaults to active so that the user can start typing and find tasks quickly, but when in tablet and smartphone mode this default is removed so that the keyboard doesn't get in the way when on the smaller device, allowing the user to scroll and tap rather than being forced to use or dismiss the keyboard.
The Streamtime web app aims to support clear continuation of workflows, with updates coming later in the year to, for example, allow the creation of quotes on one device and the refinement and sending of the quote on another.
Project Marketing
This project was undertaken primarily for the benefit of existing Streamtime customers so that they can enjoy fast and reliable access to Streamtime from anywhere and at anytime on any device.
As such, the approach we took was to inform existing customers via our traditional channels of email newsletters, facebook and twitter.
New customers are informed about the Streamtime webapp when they trial the software via the streamtime.net website as well as by the Sales team.
Project Privacy
Streamtime collects the minimum amount of data about the user and their business that it needs to function. Specifically, users accessing our mobile app only need to provide a username and password. These details are then used by the server side system to determine their name and privileges. The app does not ask for any other personal information about the user, nor does it share any user activity with other users of the system.
The app communicates fully over HTTPS encrypting all data and activity between the users' devices and the server.
We store the bare minimum information about the user in encrypted storage with authenticated access. All access to storage is logged in our system.
Project Management
The category relates to applications themed around project management.
More Details