Your intranet on the go - QUT Virtual Mobile

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESD I V IS I O N O F T E C H N O L O G Y , I N F O R M A T I O N A N D L E A R N I N G S U P P O R T www.its.qut.edu.au INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.au Your intranet on the go Developing QUT Virtual Mobile Andy McBride (@andymac7) Intranet Services Team (QUT)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat I‟ll be covering today…o Overview of QUT and my teamo Changing face of the mobile spaceo Choosing a mobile delivery strategyo QUT Virtual Mobile: – How it all began – Live demoo Lessons learned along the wayo PLUS some hands on activities

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESQueensland University of Technology (QUT) www.its.qut.edu.au

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auQueensland University of Technology (QUT)o Based in Brisbane with three campuses: 1. Gardens Point 2. Kelvin Grove 3. Cabooltureo Over 40,500 studentso Over 4,000 full-time staff: – Professional – Academic – Research

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auQueensland University of Technology (QUT) cont. o 2 data centres o Over 60 computer labs o 13,000 workstations: – 7,700 staff – 5,300 students o 1,100 staff mobile phones o Many more student mobile devices

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auMy team – Intranet Serviceso Situated in Information Technology Services Dept.o Responsible for development & maintenance of QUT Virtualo Also tailor made develop web applicationso 12 staff: – Managers – Business Analysts – Application Developers – Web Developer / User Interface Designer

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat is QUT Virtual?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat is QUT Virtual?o Personalised & secure application web portalo Available to students, staff & alumnio Launched in 2001o Contains over 140 unique applicationso Integrates with many QUT systems (e.g. Finance, HR, Enrolment, Facilities, Research etc.)o 17,000 sessions a day (average)o 6 million sessions a year (average)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESChanging face of the mobile space www.its.qut.edu.au http://www.flickr.com/photos/cristiano_betta/

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.au

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auBy the end of this year, there will be6 billion mobile connections… there are 7 billion people on the planet Source: Wireless Intelligence

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auBy 2013, mobile devices will replace PC’s as themost common device to access the World Wide Web Source: ITU vis mobithinking

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESand by 2015, one half of all devices on a www.its.qut.edu.au corporate network will be mobile Source: ZenDesk

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auMobile connections @ QUTo Wireless connections increasing 290% in 2011

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auOver 70% of organisations have NOmobile intranet access strategy Source: NetJMC

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESQuestion www.its.qut.edu.auWhy are organisations taking so long to adopt mobile?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESChoosing the right mobile delivery strategy www.its.qut.edu.au http://www.flickr.com/photos/bas-boerman/ http://www.sencha.com http://www.appcelerator.com http://www.phonegap.com

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auMobile delivery strategies1. Native application2. Web-based application3. Hybrid application1. Or a combination of strategies

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat are native applications?o Applications designed to run on a specific mobile device‟s operating system & firmware.o Downloaded & updated via an application store. Camera+ (iPhone) Twitter (Android)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auAdvantages of native applicationso Run quicker o Quality developero Access to native API‟s frameworks (e.g. camera, GPS) o Integration with othero Offline access native applicationso „Push‟ capabilities o Simple purchasingo Animation & graphic process effects o Larger marketingo More consistent UI potential via the App Stores / Marketplaces

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat are web-based applications?o Applications or websites designed to be delivered via a mobile device‟s web browser. Westpac YouTube

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auAdvantages of web-based applicationso Device independent / wider o Control over hosted content reach o No 3rd party fees (Apple =o Quicker & cheaper to develop 30%)o Open development platform o + HTML5 = fast & moreo Immediate release of functional: updates, bug fixes & new – Location aware (GPS, features maps) (e.g. No store approval – Multimedia support process) (video, images)o Content accessible to search – Offline storage engines

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat are hybrid applications?o Increasingly popular in recent yearso Combine elements of native and web-based applications – Web-based application wrapped in a native web browsero Several popular hybrid application frameworks:

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auAdvantages of hybrid applicationso „Best of both worlds‟o Cross platform capabilitieso Able to release to native app storeo No need to develop several versions of the same applicationo Enables web developers to utilise skills in native application environment

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhich delivery strategy is better?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhich delivery strategy is better?o Time: o Users: – Development, testing, – What devices do they have support & maintenance access to?o Budget: – Do you provide your users – Small vs. large a particular brand of – Startup vs. ongoing phone?o Expertise: o Competitors – In-house vs. Need to hire o Product or service – Web vs. App (eg. C, Java)o Geographical location: – Single country vs. multinational

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auDeveloping QUT Virtual Mobile

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhere it all began…o Feedback from students & staffo Chose web-based applicationo Started late 2010, officially launched February 2011o Agile development approacho Took 2 developers, 3 months Student View Staff View

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhy we chose a web-based application?1. Large & technologically diverse user base: – Provide access to most students & staff – Domestic & international audience – Wide range of mobile devices used2. Limited time & budget: – Developed in spare time – No dedicated project time or budget – Limited ongoing support & maintenance budget3. In-house expertise: – HTML, CSS & JavaScript developers in team4. Ability to reuse existing infrastructure

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auQUT Virtual Mobile Demo

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat‟s under the hood…• HTML5• CSS3• JavaScript (used sparingly)• Web services calls & direct database queries• Oracle Portal & Oracle database infrastructure• Authenticated using QUT‟s Enterprise Sign-on Engine (ESOE) drbeasleys.com

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auHow has QUT Virtual Mobile performed?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auHow has QUT Virtual Mobile performed?o Since go-live (Feb 2011): • Feedback we‟ve received: – 425,000 page views – 125,000 unique sessions – Average 2,000 unique sessions a day

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWhat‟s next for QUT Virtual Mobile?o Real time booklist (students): – Customised based on students unit enrolment – Indicates where books are located in store – Student marks off which books they want to purchase creating subtotal – Ability to purchase eBookso Manager dashboard (staff): – Approve leave requests – Approve purchase orders

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESLessons we learned along the way www.its.qut.edu.au

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 1: Implement governance ASAP

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 1: Implement governance ASAP• Formalise governance your mobile intranet• Outline: – Acceptable mobile delivery strategies – Who governs the mobile intranet – Mobile style & development guide – Mobile testing guidelines• What happens if multiple areas what their own mobile intranet / application?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 2: Know your users

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 2: Know your userso Create a personal experienceo Need to know your users intimately: – What devices do they use? (e.g. personal, company supplied) – How do they use their mobile device? (e.g. frequently, rarely) – What do they access on your intranet via a mobile device? – Where do they access your intranet? (e.g. environment) – What mobile intranet functionality could make their job easier on the go?o Use variety of research methods: – Contextual interviews – Focus groups – Creating personas – Web statistics

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 2: Know your users cont.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 3: Mobile is not the desktop, but smaller

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 3: Mobile is not the desktop, but smallero A mobile user is: “…typically on the go in an unpredictable environment, interested in quick glanceable information, focused on discrete individual tasks, is quite often distracted.” (Joe Marini @ MIX 2010)o Release functionality your users want and can use „on the go‟o Don‟t create a mobile template for your current intraneto Different design considerations required

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auQuestionWhat design considerations are important whendesigning a mobile intranet?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 4: Think hard what to leave out

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 4: Think hard what to leave outo “Build half a product, not a half-ass product.” (37 Signals)o Only what the user needs, nothing moreo Resist temptation to release too many features (< 10)o More features included = harder to use

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 4: Think hard what to leave out cont.Blackboard links Examinations New staffSearch Postgrad research Admin linksQuicklinks International students Email listsMessages Unit results Phone bookNew Students Career development ParkingCalendar ePortfolio QUTPayStudy plan Faculty resources Finance systemsCourses & offers Personal details Business objectsClass information Computer accounts ISISFees & payments Scholarships Bus timetableWork placements Contacts PORTIAGraduation News subscriptions Mentor schemeBooklist Weather Resume builderUnit & class overview Teaching data Staff health & wellness

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auActivityWrite a list of the top 6 intranet functions your staff wantto access on their mobile device.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auActivityDraw 6 possible designs for yourmobile intranet…. …then we will consolidate into 1 design

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESLesson 5: Progressive enhancement, www.its.qut.edu.au not initial perfection

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 5: Progressive enhancement, not initial perfectiono Start with a few key functions, release new functions progressivelyo Take a „lean‟ approacho Allows you to: – concentrate your efforts – release earlier – fix bugs / problems based on feedback – kill unwanted or unused functions – maintain the „hype‟ of your mobile intranet

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 6: Test early, test often, test always

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 6: Test early, test often, test alwayso Many different: – devices – operating systems – screen sizes – browsers (if web-based application) – environments (e.g. 3G connection, no connection) – touch screen vs. keypado Test continuously & regularly: – e.g. Pull aside a colleague in the hall & test on their phone

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auLesson 6: Test early, test often, test always Operating System Device(s) • iPhone (all generations) • iPod Touch (all generations) • iPad (all generations) • HTC Hero • HTC Desire HD • HTC Wildfire • Samsung Galaxy S • LG E900 • Samsung Wave • Blackberry Bold • Nokia e71 • Nokia e72 • Palm Pre

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.au

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES www.its.qut.edu.auWant to chat? Want more information?Email: a.mcbride@qut.edu.auPhone: (07) 3138 1365Twitter: @andymac7Or catch me after the session…

Your intranet on the go - QUT Virtual Mobile

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