Mobile Forms in Browsers

Limitations of the browser-based approach to mobile forms

Every smartphone has a Web browser, and the idea of using that browser as a  portal to display and submit mobile business forms is tempting. But it's important to consider the costs and limitations and problems you may experience if you rely on the mobile browser. 

1. The problem of offline productivity

The first question you need to ask is this: Will my mobile workers always be in places where data signals are strong enough to enable Internet access?  The more locations your workforce visits, the more likely that some of those locations will not be suitable for browser use.

No signal is perfect and connections sometimes drop. What are the consequences of a lost signal when your worker is filling out a form?  Will data need to be re-entered in the form?  What if the connection drops during the process of submitting a form? These are situations you need to investigate thoroughly  with any browser-based solution.

Finally, consider whether your mobile workers will ever need to work offline by choice. If regulations or policies prevent accessing sensitive data such as health care records from outside your firewall, for example,  workers may need to load the data they need in the morning and submit completed forms at the end of the day.  Or perhaps your workers encounter hazardous environmnents such as oil and gas facilities where the radio needs to be turned off, but the forms still need to be completed.

The Formotus solution does not require a constant connection, and allows users to complete and save forms on the device while offline, for later submission.

2. The problem of serial workflow

A browser-based solution might suffice if your mobile work scenario is very  simple, clear-cut and serial. If your mobile users will always start and complete one form before moving on to the next, then your workflow is not too challenging.  But  more complex workflows call for more powerful features than browsers can usually supply.

Formotus supports complex workflow scenarios like these:

• Save a partially completed form on the device and return to it later, after working on other forms.  If a piece of information is missing in a repair form, it can be saved and finished when that info is available.
• Save multiple instances of the same form for completion later. An inspector can start five different inspection forms in the field and complete them back at the office. 
• Save instances of multiple different forms for completion later.  A traveling nurse might start three different forms on each of five patients, for example, and save them all for completion later. 
• Keep drafts of forms on the device as long as needed.  A delivery form might be submitted immediately,  but the the same worker can keep updating the timecard and and submit it at the end of each week. 

3. The problem of limited controls

 Any form in a browser is only as powerful as the browser it's in. If you want to take full advantage of your phones' features, you may find browser-based solutions very limiting.

Formotus gives your forms powerful controls like these that are unmatched in browser-based forms:

• Capture a signature or diagram written on the phone's the touch screen.
• Snap a photo straight into your form.
• Insert an image from a file into your form.
• Draw on a photo or other image to annotate it.
• Capture the phone's GPS coordinates in your form.
• Auto-fill identifying fields such as phone number, IMEI, user name, device model, operating system, current date and time.
• Tap a date-picker control fill a date field easily.
• Expand pages by adding repeating sections or repeating tables.