Here is a link to a very detailed report titled "Measuring the shift of long-term change" that was produced by the Deloitte Center for the Edge - and written by John Hagel, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison. This document details Deloitte's Shift Index that includes three indices and 25 metrics designed to make longer-term performance trends more relevant and actionable:
Everyone wants simplicity. The same desires are there whether the device be a new cellphone or a shop tool, the dashboard of an automobile or the choices while shopping in a store. "Why can't my technology be as easy to use as my garage door opener?" asks one paper on the topic: "one button and it opens or shuts the door. Simple, elegant."
The cry has been picked up by everyday people, newspaper reviewers and professionals alike. But if it is so obvious, if the need is so great, why don't the products match the cry? Everyone misses the point. Simplicity is not the goal. We do not wish to give up the power and flexibility of our technologies. The garage door opener may be simple, but it hardly does anything. If my cellphone only had one button it certainly would be simple, but, umm, all I could do would be to turn it on or off: I wouldn't be able to make a phone call. Is the piano too complex because it has 88 keys and three pedals? Should we simplify it? Surely no piece of music uses all of those keys. The cry for simplicity misses the point.
Just look at what people actually buy in the stores, says the marketing expert, people really want features. There is indeed an apparent conflict here. As the number of features increase, so too does the desirability of the device. But as the number of features increases, simplicity goes down. As a result, even as people buy the devices with extra features, they cry out for simplicity. Features versus simplicity: are these two really in serious conflict? By standard measures, yes.
We want devices that do a lot, but that do not confuse, do not lead to frustration. Ahah! This is not about simplicity: it is about frustration. The entire debate is being framed incorrectly. Features is not the same as capability. Simplicity is not the same as usability. Simplicity is not the answer.
There is an implicit assumption:
Features => Capability
Simplicity => Ease of use
These two statements translate into simple logic: Everyone wants more capability, so therefore they want more features. Everyone wants ease of use, so therefore they want simplicity.
Alas, this simple logic is false logic, false because it follows the implications backwards. Suppose I said:
A sunny day ==> it won't rain.
Does this mean that if it doesn't rain the day is sunny? Of course not. The arrow goes left to right: this says nothing about the right to left direction. So extra capability does not require more features. Similarly, ease of use does not require simplicity.
I conclude that the entire argument between features and simplicity is misguided. People might very well desire more capability and ease of use, but do not equate this to more features or to simplicity. What people want is usable devices, which translates into understandable ones.
The world is complex, and so too must be the activities that we perform. But that doesn't mean that we must live in continual frustration. No. The whole point of human-centered design is to tame complexity, to turn what would appear to be a complicated tool into one that fits the task, that is understandable, usable, enjoyable.
Design to the Rescue
We are faced with an apparent paradox, but don't worry: good design will see us through. People want the extra power that increased features bring to a product, but they intensely dislike the complexity that results. Is this a paradox? Not necessarily. Complexity can be managed.
Once we recognize that the real issue is to devise things that are understandable, we are halfway toward the solution. Good design can rescue us. How do we manage complexity? We use a number of simple design rules. For example, consider how three simple principles can transform an unruly cluster of confusing features into a structured, understandable experience: modularization, mapping, conceptual models. There are numerous other important design principles, but these will make the point.
Modularization means taking an activity and dividing it into small, manageable modules. That's how well-designed multifunction printers, scanners, copiers, and fax machines do it: Each function is compartmentalized by grouping and graphics, so each is relatively simple. HP invented a common control mechanism (their "Q" control) so the same principles governed usage of all functions. Learn to do one function, you then know how to do all of them.
Good mapping is essential to ensure that the relationship between actions and results is apparent.
But most important of all is to provide an understandable, cohesive conceptual model, so the person understands what is to be done, what is happening, and what is to be expected. This requires continual, informative feedback, which can also be done in such a way as to be pleasurable: see any Apple product.
Emotional design is critical to a person's enjoyment of a product, the most critical variable here being the need to feel in control. This is especially important when things go wrong. The key is to design knowing that things go wrong, thereby ensuring that people will understand what is happening and know what to do about it.
The argument is not between adding features and simplicity, between adding capability and usability. The real issue is about design: designing things that have the power required for the job while maintaining understandability, the feeling of control, and the pleasure of accomplishment.
by Stephanie Neil, Managing Automation Editorial Staff
There are many reasons for manufacturers to consider deploying wireless technologies and applications inside and outside the plant. Vendors tout everything from improved productivity, to cost savings, to real-time visibility into processes.
But there is a lot to consider before taking the plunge.
First, there’s the network infrastructure. Do you need a sensor-based mesh network, RFID, WiFi, WiMax, or simply cellular? Depending upon which wireless route you take, network access points may need to be installed and managed. And the IT department must select and manage the hardware, in the form of user devices, such as industrial computers and handheld smart phones. But that’s not all.
The wireless applications must also be selected or developed and deployed. And, when it comes to applications, there are plenty of options from which to choose. If the problem you’re trying to solve involves accessing information in the plant, automation software vendors such as Wonderware (an Invensys Operations Management company), Emerson Process Management, and Honeywell Process Solutions can get you started by helping to set up the wireless infrastructure and, in some cases, providing the handheld devices through partners such as Motorola and Intermec.
If, however, the problem is outside the plant — for example, in the sales department — there are vendors with very specific wireless customer relationship management (CRM) applications and/or middleware. They are proficient at training your team in how to move back-end applications out to a mobile workforce. Among those vendors are Maximizer Software, SAP and its partner Syclo LLC, and Sybase.And, when it comes to managing it all, there are specialty vendors for that, too, including Psion Teklogix, Rivermine, and Sybase.
That’s a wide array of choices, indeed. Fortunately for manufacturers that may not want to become experts in wireless technologies themselves, telecommunications carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon have begun to bundle wireless services and applications, with the help of partners.“In the last 18 months, we’ve shifted away from just selling a solution to becoming an enabler and a partner with multiple developers” to add value for the customer, says Charnsin Tulyasathien, Sprint’s Mobile Business Solutions group manager.
For example, Sprint’s customers are asking for help in setting up wireless data networks for in-building communications, as well as building out mobile applications that will take advantage of the airwaves. Sprint partners with companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Nortel, and Cisco to deliver such offerings as voice-over-IP and managed services that enable unified communications.
Similarly, AT&T’s mobile platform strategy encompasses its wireless third-generation (3G) data network and mobile middleware, as well as about 100 applications, developed on its own or with partners, that deliver industry-specific solutions for the industrial, automotive, aerospace, and petrochemical segments, among others. For example, in a production environment, AT&T’s cellular 3G coverage, at speeds of about 3.6Mbps, can be used to build a wireless LAN that supports in-building unified voice communications and data applications, including asset management; maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) management; and workforce management.
At the same time, all of the major carriers are planning fourth-generation networks that will deliver faster speeds and enable new applications.
Sprint’s recent partnership with Turnpike Technologies and Qualcomm offers a very specific example of how a telecommunications carrier can provide a turnkey solution. Earlier this year, the trio rolled out RouteTracker, a portable tracking device that acts as a low-cost fleet management system. RouteTracker uses an electronic on-board recorder mounted in trucks, along with a Bluetooth-based handset that enables drivers to record and report fuel usage as required by the recently enacted International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA), as well as to create and send Web-based operations reports used for fleet management back to headquarters.
Managing Information
Other vendors are offering applications that target processes on the plant floor and beyond. Wonderware’s IntelaTrac is a critical component of the “operator-driven reliability” concept that many manufacturers in the process industries are adopting. The idea is that efficient operations have more to do with equipment reliability and availability of assets than after-the-fact maintenance.
“Operators can always break it faster than maintenance can fix it,” says Charles Mohrmann, vice president of sales at Wonderware Mobile Solutions.
IntelaTrac, which is a software program that can push best practices and procedures out to a handheld device, is evolving with new applications designed to increase the reliability of operations by driving information to the end user. Wonderware says its new IntelaTrac Dynamic Procedures capability changes instructions and procedures as business conditions change. In the oil industry, for example, a storm brewing at sea might require manufacturers to push information about preparedness procedures to engineers in order to secure oil rigs.
While IntelaTrac provides a plant-based solution, Syclo does something similar for processes that take place outside the plant.
Syclo’s Smart Mobile Suite addresses areas such as asset management, inventory, scheduling, sales, and CRM. Syclo’s Agentry technology is a development framework that enables information to flow from back-end systems and databases to mobile devices. The idea is to push the appropriate information from IBM’s Maximo EAM application or SAP’s CRM system, for example, to an offsite road warrior using a handheld, laptop, or smart phone.
“We have intelligent workflows that guide workers through what they need to do with drop-down menus for things like parts, failure codes, and calculations,” says Joe Granda, Syclo executive vice president of marketing. “If you have better data, you work smarter in the field.”
CRM is a particularly important mobile enterprise application because, by providing up-to-the-minute customer history to field service people on the road, it allows manufacturers to increase customer satisfaction, which brings revenue opportunities. For that reason, Syclo and SAP announced a co-innovation agreement earlier this year to extend SAP CRM to the Syclo Smart Mobile Suite.
Meanwhile, Maximizer Software, a CRM vendor for small and medium-sized businesses, also has made its application mobile. Specifically, the company designed a clean and simple interface that can be viewed via any micro-browser that ships on any smart phone.
The Maximizer application can be customized to a specific business, but mainstream functions such as calendaring, contact lists, maps, and e-mail are also available. While those are seemingly simple capabilities, they can increase productivity. For example, if a salesperson has 45 minutes of downtime, the mapping function can be used to find out whether a customer is near enough for an impromptu visit.
Ultimately, having the right application to do the work — and solve a problem — is what will make mobility a valuable business proposition.
“We do have to give a nod to e-mail as the first line-of-business application to get value out of the smart phone,” says Will Anderson, executive vice president of technology at Maximizer Software. “But e-mail was the first generation of business applications on the phone. Now we are onto the second wave.”
Managing the Infrastructure
While Wonderware and Syclo manage the content that is pushed to the end user, other programs, such as Psion Teklogix’s Mobile Control Center (MCC) and Sybase’s Afaria, manage the mobile devices themselves.
MCC is deployed on a centralized PC, but it is used to monitor and control devices all over the world via LAN, WAN, or cellular networks. The software can remotely monitor, troubleshoot, upgrade, and fix devices, including Psion’s own rugged handhelds and any other device, via a Windows interface. In the latest version of the software, released this summer, location services have been added, allowing GPS-based devices to be located and tracked in real time.
Companies need to know where their devices are at all times in order to reduce or respond to the risk of loss or theft. “If an individual loses a device, we can shut down the device so it is useless to anyone,” says Ron Caines, Psion’s president of worldwide sales.
Sybase’s Afaria Management and Security system offers similar capabilities. Afaria is a function within the company’s mobile enterprise suite, which includes iAnywhere Mobile Office, a middleware application that extends e-mail and business processes to wireless devices. Afaria includes a backup manager that archives frontline workers’ critical business data, a configuration manager that ensures that required connection settings are enforced, a document manager that delivers updates for content and data files to the devices, and an inventory management feature that tracks all frontline systems, from PDAs, to laptops, to point of sale, to handheld systems.
According to Senthil Krishnapillai, director of product management for enterprise mobility at Sybase, securing enterprise devices requires a multi-pronged approach. So, aside from encrypting data, the Sybase software turns a mobile phone into an intelligent device that, if not connected for a certain period of time, wipes clean potentially sensitive data.
Managing mobile devices also requires staying on top of the telecommunications plans that connect them. To that end, Rivermine’s Telecom Expense Management is an application that analyzes carrier invoices, auditing them to make sure customers are paying only for what they should be paying, and reviewing usage to ensure that the best rate plan is applied.
The tool helps manage what can be a truly unruly process. “Oftentimes, employees bring in their own device and want to hook up to the corporate plan. This mix of managing corporate and individual devices is a complex situation,” says John Shea, Rivermine’s chief marketing officer. If too many individuals start submitting expense reports because they are not on the corporate plan, suddenly telecom costs are spiraling out of control because there is no visibility into usage, Shea says. “The reason [companies] come to us is because we can save them between 20% and 40% of their wireless expense,” he says.
SIDEBAR: 4G Force: The Second Wave
Manufacturers will soon have everything, from streaming video, to videoconferencing, to 3D graphics, at their fingertips.
With AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon all in various stages of rolling out their fourth-generation (4G) wireless networks, which will bring WiMax broadband speeds into mobile users’ hands, manufacturers will soon have everything, from streaming video, to videoconferencing, to 3D graphics, at their fingertips.
Sprint 4G, offering speeds up to 10 Mbps, is already available in Baltimore, with 14 new markets planned by next year. AT&T, too, is designing its 4G infrastructure to be ready to start rolling out in 2011. And Verizon recently announced that it will test its Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G networks in Seattle and Boston later this year, with commercial launches to follow in 30 markets in 2010.
Verizon’s latest announcement that it will partner with Qualcomm, a provider of M2M technologies, on a joint venture, however, may mean the most to manufacturers. The agreement calls for the two to deliver machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless communications and smart services leveraging 4G speeds to provide customers with a single source for end-to-end M2M solutions, the companies say.
Intelligent sensors communicating over the Verizon network via the Qualcomm APIs could be used to monitor an oil pipeline or to measure chemical tank levels, for example. The infrastructure will also enable aftermarket services providing industrial equipment vendors with new revenue sources.
Verizon’s LTE 4G network is an important element in the “always-on” connectivity to assets that Qualcomm’s technology platform enables. With 4G, “you do get speed, but you also get better coverage in buildings and in manufacturing plants. That is a big deal for end-to-end solutions,” says Steve Pazol, president of the new joint venture, the name of which is yet to be determined.
