Ideas for the UI from Alex

[fosterlynn]

From Alex Whitcroft:

Mockup: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwvnFTnQ_7-HeGJfSG93Q1VjYjg&usp=sharing

Key UI improvements needed

Text / button hierarchy
Legibility of software / process structure “Networked Picture” –Lynn)
Ability to jump directly to any page key from anywhere else
Standard colours
Standardise language
Division between line items
Hierarchy for line items
Page grid (eg: columns, buttons aligned/grouped rather than floating about)
Visualisations on all pages
A filter menu for every page
Clearer/identifiable persistent/common UI elements
More intuitive/visual controls (eg: date slider, simple filters)
More intuitive planning/scheduling (inc: wrap reporting visualisations back into editing interface)
Better process/relationship diagrams
Distinguish flows (eg: “planned” vs “unplanned”)
Calendar
Better camera integration
Better notifications – email, push, desktop
Ability to minimise/maximise sections of the page content (like an email thread) to find what you want
Filtering interface on every page (maybe which minimises filtered out content)
In-situ edit buttons
Expanding/tiered/dropdown nav menu
More mobile optimised without too much re-structuring / moving of elements
Pull persistent side elements to minimisable dropdown/slide-out panes. (eg: relationships)
Icons for things - easer to mobile as you can hide the words.  clean and simple for desktop too.

Observations

Currently the nav menu seems to mix different types of / hierarchy items in the same bar. It needs more structure and useful grouping. Grouping by stage of work and then type of page would be good.

It seems like work can be grouped by the following “Stages”:

Setup (framework + inventory/resources)
Planning (processes + schedules)
Doing (Tasks + non-production work + supply)
Report (which the value equation could be considered part of along with rewarding /documenting)

In each stage there are a number of types of page/workflow:

Setup framework
Create entries (planned and unplanned)
View / visualise content

[TiberiusB]

Love the mockup! I think we still need to think about how users interact with the NRP+VAS system. From my experience (4 years with SENSORICA and being the main driver of the NRP-VAS within this community), I understand that people like to interact with the system (log contributions, schedule resource use, log resource use, consumption, replenishment, etc.) directly from the environment they are working in. For example, if someone is working on a Google doc, a wiki page, erc., it would be nice to have a button to share to the value accounting system right there, in context. This can be application-specific (Google drive, mediawiki, or other) or a browser gadget. Another example is mobile apps. From my experience, this is very relevant when people operate in a physical space (doing R&D, manufacturing, maintenance, etc.). We already have a pilot application in the making about resource management using QR codes. This allows users to access a resource in the NRP from a QR code that is physically printed on the associated physical object, and perform operations like: using (if permission granted), scheduling, replenishing, changing location, etc. Some of my colleagues have proposed mobile app ideas to log time. We've already produced QR codes for projects, which are placed on boxes containing materials and prototypes specific to these projects. Someone can scan the QR code and start logging time working on the project, take notes, add equipment use and materials consumption to that, all on a tablet or a smart phone.

The question is: how much effort do we put into the web-interface or into apps that can be deployed into different environments. At this moment both seem to be important. But I predict that future use will go more towards distributed apps and a NRP+VAS running in the background.

This is just my opinion, based on my own experience. The best thing is to open the feedback channel larger. We can use our social media channels to collect this feedback from potential users.

When it comes to systems for increasing stigmergy, we can post stuff on the web application, but at the same time, we can also distribute stuff on websites, blogs and social media. For example, the NRP+VAS can be connected to SENSORICA's Facebook page or G+ page and send regular posts with specific titles (financial contribution needed, or engineering skills needed, or ... ) or in specific topics (on G+ you have topics, one can be "needs" or "Contribute!"). Twitter can also be used to send needs and wants updates. The idea is to go where people are, and allow the signals to spread in a viral manner. If the signal only appear on the web interface we still need to propagate it through social media by sharing a page link. We can think of a need and want being created from a smartphone app, recorded in NRP+VAS and at the same time shared on social media, all in one or 2 clicks.