[interview] the project story
Project Overview
Formworks for business eliminates the need for paper forms and cuts data processing time in half. The Formworks platform enables companies to easily create their own forms via a web GUI. Field based staff – for example salespeople, surveyors, facilities managers or auditors – then complete the forms on their iPad during a meeting or inspection.
Formworks forms look familiar - just like paper forms, and support an exhaustive range of field types, including photo and signature capture, and handwriting recognition. Data is sent instantly back to the office - reducing paperwork and enabling faster data processing.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Digital Field Solutions have over 10 years’ experience in business process engineering and the implementation of form-based data capture solutions. We help businesses – large and small, national and international – use mobile technology and apps to improve service and productivity, grow revenue and boost profitability.
Compsoft have been specialising in mobile since 2009, having designed and developed web-based applications for many years prior. Compsoft combine stunning interface design with cutting edge development to deliver the best possible app for each customer. Our thirty-strong team lives and breathes mobile - we love nothing more than to apply our passion, creativity, skill and experience to each client’s individual requirement.
Project Brief
Almost every business uses forms - sales forms, application forms, surveys, inspections, audits, job sheets and more. Whilst paper forms are easy to use, they present real issues for organisations with mobile workers:
• The cost of producing, managing, printing and distribution
• The cost and delays of posting/scanning completed forms
• The cost and delays from re-keying data
• Issues with handwriting legibility
These issues affect service and profitability, not to mention the environmental impact of so much paper.
While there are DIY forms solutions on the market, these lack the flexibility, usability or scalability to meet the needs of many businesses. The original brief was therefore to create an enterprise-class forms platform for iPad including:
• An easy-to-use, web-based form creation, management and deployment platform
• iPad forms that are easier and faster to use than pen and paper
• Data capture controls to ensure data quality at point of entry
• A secure app that can be used on or offline to maximise productivity
• Flexible data export options for integration with existing systems
In the past year Formworks has been redesigned in-line with iOS8 and undergone substantial development, including:
• “Shared Dynamic Databases” allow users to lookup data from within forms; saving time, improving data quality and enhancing UX
• Improved refresh of form templates and streamlined data synchronisation
• Help Elements can be added, giving users detailed instructions
• Forms can access device geo-location data
Project Innovation/Need
Key to Formworks is the ability to create, amend and deploy forms quickly and easily. Formworks therefore incorporates the industry’s first genuinely flexible and intuitive web-based form builder, with easy to use drag-and-drop elements.
Forms can be multi-page and include an exhaustive list of field types such as text, checkboxes, photo capture, signatures, sketches, labels and lines. And for more advanced users, there's a flexible scripting language to enable inclusion of logic, data controls and calculations. Once created, forms are deployed to groups of users at the tap of a button. Forms can also be pre-filled, allowing administrators to assign specific jobs to field users.
The Formworks iPad app features intuitive navigation, both between and within forms. All data is downloaded to the iPad so forms can be used offline. Forms can be saved for later completion and, when submitted, are queued for sending; if there’s no network connection, the app will wait until there is and then submit the data. The app is architected to ensure background tasks don’t affect performance, so the user can continue to fill in forms while others are uploading. Formworks also incorporates handwriting recognition for those preferring not to type.
But that’s not where Formworks ends; the data, once captured, needs to be made available within the business. So we’ve made integration with back-end system systems straightforward and configurable, and created a comprehensive cloud hub where forms can be stored and tracked, and statistics analysed.
User Experience
In delivering a tablet based form solution, we wanted to ensure that every aspect of the data capture process was at least as fast and efficient as pen and paper; field staff are often an organisation’s most expensive resource, so what value an hour a day saved on admin?
The Formworks app is navigated by a simple menu system, allowing the user to access any number of form templates or to edit previously saved forms. Furthermore, to ease users’ transition to tablet technology, Formworks forms are designed to look and behave like paper forms, while making use of iPad features like photo capture and drop-down lists that can’t be replicated on paper. And, because work discussions aren’t linear, it’s easy to navigate between form sections and pages.
The Formworks app can be accessed on or offline, ensuring the user can work at all times. Forms are queued for submission and will transmit once a connection is available, requiring no user intervention.
The intuitive UX means that training requirements are minimal to non-existent. And to make life even easier, Formworks uses sophisticated handwriting recognition to speed up one-handed data capture.
As well as making it easy to complete forms, Formworks enables administrators to quickly and easily create form templates via a powerful, intuitive web-based form builder. The GUI uses drag and drop elements to simplify the form building process, so it can be used by non-technical users with no need for specific training.
Project Marketing
Whilst small and large businesses benefit from the Formworks platform and app, the main target market is larger businesses and enterprises looking to improve the productivity and performance of their field teams.
The app is available on the App Store as a free download with a demo account so that prospective clients can try out sample forms for themselves.
Once prospective clients have assessed the app and want to take things further, Digital Field Solutions set up a Webex call to understand requirements and explain the form building and form management process. This ensures that the client can get up and running with system quickly and effectively – and start seeing the benefits!
A range of approaches have been adopted to target both business and IT decision makers, including:
• Website Search Engine Optimization
• Pay-per-Click campaigns (e.g. Google Adwords)
• Industry events and exhibitions (e.g. Facilities Management, Health and Safety etc.)
• Outbound Direct Marketing campaigns using Linked In, email messaging and telesales follow up
These approaches have been employed successfully to engage with a broad range of businesses from mid cap through to FTSE 100 organisations involved with a range of activities including: financial service sales, consumer debt consultations, property surveying, insurance claim assessments, asset inspections and supporting vulnerable people.
Project Privacy
Formworks is typically sold as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution however it is also available as an enterprise deployment. The Formworks SaaS infrastructure is hosted on the Amazon Enterprise Cloud Computing (EC2) infrastructure ensuring industry leading scalability, reliability and security. On sign-up an organization account is created with one or more administrator users, each of which has their own unique username and password. Secure partitioning ensures administrators only have access to their own organization’s account.
Administrators can add additional Admins, Form Authors and/or iPad users, and User Groups enable different forms to be made available to different sets of users. When a user is added they receive an email invitation and follow a link to set up their unique password; for extra security, strong passwords are mandated for all users. On login (or as soon after as a network connection becomes available) the iPad app downloads the relevant form templates and pre-filled forms from the server based on the user’s credentials. Both data download and upload of completed forms are carried out over SSL with 128-bit encryption. The app also logs users out automatically after a period of inactivity.
For security purposes, a user’s access can be withdrawn at any time. Furthermore, a user may only be logged in to one device at a time; if they log into a second device, they will be automatically logged out of the first one.
Business Platforms
Business Platforms have succeeded in helping businesses in changing their focus to the achievement of outcomes. Compelling, flexible and scalable platforms that provide greater business agility and productivity will stand out here.
More Details