This is due to a combination of factors, but the biggest reason is that desktop makes completing tasks easier — like data entry, for example — while mobile makes content consumption easier.
So, while trends indicate that mobile is increasingly becoming the most important channel for both consumer and business applications, enterprise strategies continue to treat as secondary. If employees could conduct more tasks on mobile, the time spent on the desktop would decrease.
Companies embarking on a digital transformation journey must start designing and architecting modern applications for mobile-first consumption. The key is to focus on the cognitive aspects of the experience.
These are the two most important considerations for creating a mobile enterprise app that will truly benefit employee productivity:
1. Single task interface
A critical aspect of moving from desktop to mobile-first design is breaking down the user interface to support ‘just one action’ at a time.
Imagine a complex application that provides users with access to perform multiple functions, such as entering a new customer order, approving an order, or searching for an order. Instead, each of these actions deserves its own individual card (i.e., micro app) that enables users to take a specific action.
This approach optimizes the available space for precise user tasks and easy data consumption. It also makes apps highly functional and fast. To build effective micro applications, legacy systems must be deconstructed into multiple single-task tools.
If possible, new applications should be designed for single-purpose apps from the ground up. It increases efficiency and usability, while also fitting perfectly with a micro-services architecture.
2. Search and drill down
The depth of features offered by enterprise applications forces a complex navigation menu. It takes a lot of clicks and typing to get to where you need to go, which makes designing an all-inclusive mobile-first experience very challenging.
Rather than the traditional navigation menu, the mobile design should simplify the user experience with a Google-like search function for enterprise users. For example, instead of clicking-through from “Home” to “Orders” to “Select Order” to “Approve” or another required action, users should be able to quickly search “Approve order number 36321” — instantly bringing up the correct order with an approve button right there.
This cuts the time required to complete the task into a fraction of the desktop version. Without a fixed navigational structure, the mobile experience leverages natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI) to understand the user’s intent and help finish the specific task as fast as possible.
As a complement to rapid task completion, micro apps should also provide a “drill-down” experience. In other words, the app should show only the most relevant info, like the order number, upon search, but should have a dropdown menu or link to easily navigate to additional information if desired. This avoids information overload but still keeps all pertinent details at an employee’s fingertips.
Also Read: Why UX Research Should Be a Priority for Mobile Marketers?
Smarter. Faster. Easier.
With the right mobile-first approach, enterprises can dramatically improve productivity and user experience for employees. Because micro apps focus on distinct tasks, they are not only much more efficient but also more affordable to develop and maintain. They take far less time to build compared to heavy-duty desktop software. So, companies can make an investment with less risk — scaling their mobile strategy as the concept proves itself.
It’s time for enterprises to think beyond the desktop and make the leap to mobile. The world is already there, and the organizations that focus on mobile-first will reap the rewards.
