How to transform your Siebel desktop application into a mobile application

In a world where everyone uses mobile devices for day-to-day activities, it’s important for companies to adapt their solutions and applications accordingly.

Whether it’s for registering an activity or a sale when working remotely, or for fetching vital information when they’re on their way to a meeting, mobile solutions are essential for almost all businesses, and Siebel CRM clients are no exception.

Some clients may decide to move away from Siebel because they are not aware of its mobile capabilities or because they perceive the offered solution is not user friendly or performant enough to be used on mobile devices. But it couldn’t be farther from the truth. User focus has quickly accelerated towards a mobile experience, Siebel has always been looked at as desktop-focused, but it can be adapted to a reality of a world ever-changing and always connected.

In this blog, we are going to explain the key considerations to successfully adapt Siebel to a siebel mobile application.

Keep it Simple #

Siebel desktop applications are commonly very complex with an overwhelming amount of information on the screen.

For mobile applications, due to the viewport (screen) size, it’s important to consider the following in order to improve user experience.

• Identify the key fields that need to be displayed and remove the unnecessary fields.
• Remove functionalities that don’t need to be used on mobile devices.
• Change basic functionalities to be more user friendly and usable on mobile devices.

Make it Intuitive and Accessible #

The success of a mobile application is directly proportional to how the user feels about the application. A user-friendly application delights and increases adoption and productivity.

It’s important to ensure the application has the correct space between fields, buttons and any other elements; we don’t want the users to get frustrated because they want to click on something and they always click on the wrong item. The use of tabs isn’t recommended, in most scenarios, being normally replaced by accordions, this allows the users to expand and collapse its content.

It is important to provide equal access to everyone, accessibility is not only the right thing to do, it’s a must-have for any smart business and a proof you are on the right path! For example, one of the simplest options is the use of Semantic HTML, it gives context to screen readers allowing them to read the contents out loud.

Add Mobile Specific Functionalities

“Wait…. you just said to remove functionalities and fields, now you want to add more?” Exactly!!!

Mobile and desktop applications are used differently, so you have to add functionalities accordingly. And when it comes to adding mobile functionalities to help users achieve their goals, the possibilities are endless.

Here are some examples:

• Google Maps– this can be easily integrated into your Siebel mobile application, by adding a quick launch icon that will automatically open Google Maps with the desired address. The same functionality can be used for Emails or other contact details.
• Social Media– In a world where social media is taking control of our day-to-day activities it’s important to incorporate direct access from your application to the clients/stakeholders/organizations social media accounts (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc). The use of social media icons and direct navigation to the desired accounts will provide a seamless experience.

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel #

Siebel provides very powerful functionalities that may not be perfect as is, but can be adapted for perfect solutions on mobile applications:

• New records – creating a record in Siebel normally is related to setting information in multiple fields in an applet, that can be frustrating and unintuitive. By using Open UI, we can create a guided process that gives the perception of what has been already set and the steps that are still missing, creating a more user-friendly journey.
• Query – in mobile devices typing values in each field to search records can be difficult and annoying. A possible solution is to identify all fields and create a custom multi-select control for each one. This allows the users to select what they want to filter and apply it automatically. Breadcrumbs can be added to allow the user to know which filters are applied and to remove them quickly.
• Product configurator – Often considered a confusing functionality by Siebel users. A more user-friendly functionality can be created by using a custom UI integrated with Remote Complex Object Instance Service (RCOIS). This functionality allows the products to be displayed on the UI according to the desired design for both desktop and mobile.

Make it Bullet Proof #

To avoid unnecessary and unexpected errors, it’s important to invest in testing to cover all possible scenarios. We identified 3 different stages that should always be considered:

• Try to identify devices which will be used and define the supported OS (Operating Systems) and viewports.
• For developing and unit testing, it’s possible to use the browser developer tool that most of the browsers provide. It allows the developing team to simulate the use of different devices, OS and viewports.
• For System and User Testing, it’s necessary to get a set of mobile devices identified before, this will allow the testing team to cover all real-life scenarios. Ensure that all types of network connections are tested (Wi-Fi, 4G and 3G).

Recap #

Here are the 5 key points you should consider for a Siebel transformation to the mobile world:

• Keep it Simple - remove unnecessary information, the application needs to be lighter and user friendly.
• Make it Intuitive and Accessible - A user-friendly and accessible application will guarantee that its use will pay off later.
• Add Mobile Specific Functionalities - Add key functionalities that will boost your application.
• Don’t Reinvent the Wheel – Focus on using Out-of-the-Box functionalities integrated with custom processes to improve the user experience.  
• Make it Bullet Proof - Cover all possible scenarios to be sure no unexpected problems happen.

Learn more #

Boxfusion Consulting are expert in delivering highly usable user interfaces, over new and existing applications. We have helped many clients successfully achieve simplicity and ease-of-use across platforms.

Let's discuss several ways we can help you adapt your Siebel application for mobile.

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