Anticipating Your Next Step
Behind every aspect of MultiForm is forethought –
about what the current task is and what the next task will likely be. Anticipating
your next step, and either taking that next step for you, or make it easy to accomplish
the next step, is one of the overriding goals of MultiForm.
Task Orientation. Much hype has occurred over how great it is to be “object oriented” software.
But objects aren't the object. Objects serve the task. Tasks aren't objected; Tasks are DONE.
Accomplishing the task is the “object”.
A Few Examples of Task Orientation, where MultiForm makes every effort to do the next step for you, or to present the next step to you, include...
- Even from the opening screen...
- Selecting Photos...
- Entering Photo Captions...
- Going to the Next Field...
- Saving Last Places Visited...
- Filling out email details...
- Typing in File Names....
- Selecting PreStored Answers....
When most software opens what is usually the first thing seen? A blank screen.
When MultiForm opens, we know what you are going to be doing. You are going to be working with forms. Why? Because you are using forms software.
Why make you have to do something to see a list of the available forms? There is no good reason we can think of. So MultiForm upon opening shows you the list of available forms.
Also why should you have to say you want to see the files associated with that form. Usually it's a dialog that you would click on to see a list of available files. That's all extra work — as far as we are concerned.
So MultiForm opens with lists of Forms and Files showing. Forms on the left. Files on the Right.
Opening Screen
| Forms On Left | Files On Right |
|---|
MultiForm takes an active role in helping tasks become completed.
It doesn't just sit back and wait for you to do everything.
Another example of anticipation of the next task is when
selecting multiple photos to be included with a report.
Anticipating that after 1 photo is selected,
a likely next step is to select another photo.
If true, after selecting 1 photo, why not bring to you the next available blank photo slot, ready for selecting another photo. If such were actually done for you, what could you do next? You would just select the next photo. Just keeping selecting photos; MultiForm brings 'round the next blank slot for you. Select. Select. Select. See Photo Speed Selection for more detail on this time saver.
Anticipating that once a photo caption is typed,
typing another caption is the next likely action.
A task orientation will anticipate then what you are likely doing next.
In this case, typing another caption. SOoo.... After typing a caption,
the software brings TO YOU the NEXT caption, for you to type
its caption, and the next one, and the next...
Anticipating that when you are done with the current field, and press Enter, that you would want to go to the next logical field.
Anticipating that when a dialog is brought back up that you would likely want to work in the same area as last time more times than not. Dialogs that do not return you to your last place of work are a waste of your time – by forcing you to navigate over and over again to the same place.
Anticipating that when you want to email that you would like the software to complete as much of the preparation of the email as possible.
When emailing a report, MultiForm will fill out as much of the email as possible with subject lines, attachments, notes in the body, and addresses so you don't have to.
Searching for existing file names as you type; knowing a file name is new once names no longer match.
Once an answer has been selected from a Smart Answer List moving to the NEXT field automatically. If an answer was selected with the mouse, the mouse cursor will move also, in anticipation that you are done with the current field, and are ready for the next.
Anticipating Your Next Step
Throughout MultiForm and everything it does, completing your job, your task in the best and most straightforward manner is foremost in mind. As a customer says...
“You guys understand our job and what is required of us. It reflects in the software and its ability to do the job the way we need to. No one else has that insight... ”