And yes.. I am refining the process which will help you to save almost 30 to 50% of time, compared to the existing Workflow Rule creation process. So this is what I have in my mind..



Follow up actions (new) will prove very helpful for those to keep track on the overdue leads, potentials etc.


Here is the first whiteboard sketch that captured all the major steps in the flow.




So for creation - a step-by-step wizard like appraoch helped more than a straight one-screen-to-capture-all-data user interface. We did a flash prototype that removed the clutter, by displayin the summary as "details entered so far", in each step and internal ppl liked that very much.




Any inputs? let us know. :-)

Rajesh
UX - Zoho CRM

Here is a select collection of the new icons that was designed recently for the CRM documentation

It literally took us some time to get started with the making of Zoho CRM videos. The reasons were many, but let’s not go back to them.
Now that we have the videos, we hope they help you to Get Started with Zoho CRM.

The purpose of this video (and the ones to get nested in this series) is to help you start playing with Zoho CRM just as you sign up.
This is why we decided not to show the product UI – that’s what you should be doing.

Couple of things that we thought, even before you could:

What if the video was a help?
Simple, you will never come back with queries on getting started with Zoho CRM.

What if the video wasn’t a help?
Tell us, we’ll change – I mean the video. We are good at that (for the better, though).

- Victor

I was trying the new graphic tablet and sketched this.. Zohobot!

Hey not bad huh?



Have a great weekend!

White board is a great tool to draw and evaluate flow diagrams. The larger the board is - the better the flow capture is. There is another advantage of using large white boards - SAVING PAPER. Earlier I used to draw the storyboards in paper with a pencil. Many complex flows are not easy to capture in a single paper even if you use a bigger size papers. Also when discussing the flow with others, changes to be made required certain amount of time (erasing the pencil sketch and re-sketching etc).

Then I started using a big white board and found it saves time and doing a storyboard became quicker than ever. It was easier to modify the sketches during discussion. To archive them, I use my phone camera to capture it and transfer to my computer.



What you are seeing in the above picture is the finalized process flow - storyboard of a new Zoho CRM feature, which is under discussion and evaluation. :-)

Rajesh Sundaram
UX - Zoho CRM

A little off-topic today :-)

Smart Touch phones have taken the mobile phone world by storm. People find them easy to use than tapping some tiny buttons in the traiditonal phones. Phone experience is quicker and easier than before.

Recently I felt that it is time to change my 4 year old mobile phone which is a traditional candy-bar with numeric keypad and a good display. I searched for touch phones that are available in the market now and found almost every major manufacturer have a good portfolio of touch phones in their product lines. Intrigued by the recent advent of phone OS and apps, I started evaluating models on the following aspects :

1. Phone OS
2. Display Size & Resolution
3. Connectivity (WiFi, BT, EDGE, 3G)
4. Multimedia (Photo, Video, Music)
5. Performance
6. App support

Every manufacturer offers touch phones ranging from Budget to premium models. The budget phones runs on the the propreitary tweaked software to use "touch" as a primary interaction method. Some have features crippled to make them into budget phones. It is the mid-range models and premium models that truly appeals, and  offers some value in terms of productivity. It all ties to the OS and its ability to support apps. So for me, OS is a major deciding factor.

Today there are 3 major OSs that takes the lion's share in the touch phone OS (with apps support) market. One is older, but does not have much app support. The second was a instant hit and currently leads that market with loads of apps. The third was introduced little recently and is gaining share, as well as coming up with apps. My first choice of OS, a leading touch phone and also a pioneer in touch, was good in the above 6 aspects, but the price factor is a hiccup also it is tied with regional service providers in India. The second choice of OS, seems to be the facing some hard-times, because only recently, major manufacturers started supporting it. One manufacturer recently introduced a mid-range model with this OS. Comparatively it is a much better model in terms of OS, Display, Apps and multimedia. But alas, the phone has not hit the shelves in Chennai. Might take a couple of weeks it seems. I've decided to wait and get this one.

When it comes to mobile phone and productivity, I must admit that I expect the phone to do everything. I want to read my mails, access facebook, tweet, access crm, set tasks and assign to my team, edit documents, use spreadsheets, and even watch movies and listen to music. Adding to the list are - photo and video shooting. In short, I want my phone to replace my desktop / laptop. The way the mobile phone market converges is very promising. The day is not too far away, where people spend more time with their mobile phone, than with their desktops / laptops.

Presenting the new icon for Zoho CRM. :-)


Rajesh Sundaram
UX-Zoho CRM