Category Archive

While there is tremendous buzz about the iPad and other tablets in the adviser community, I am struggling with some of the human factors associated with tablets and working with a client. I am interested to know more about the desirable functionality advisers are looking for when using a tablet.

We have iPads, Android devices, Windows devices, and other solutions we are reviewing, but as we do our testing and planning we continuously see awkwardness when trying to use these devices in an adviser setting.  Tablets are designed as personal devices.  They have smallish touch screens, which get smudged with fingerprints.  They are awkward to hold and type.  They are not the optimal devices for sharing and collaborating.  To do so would require a pretty close personal relationship with the client, as the collaborators are going to need to drastically invade each other’s personal space to effectively share the device.

This is by no means a condemnation of tablets.  I love them as personal devices.   I want to hear more about how you envision using a tablet, so we can focus our development around these objectives.  Is it for data entry such as a fact find?  Is it for plan presentation and collaboration?  How about plan reviews such as comparing current balances to projected balances? Are there specific Voyant features that would be most ideal to have on a tablet?  Should tablet apps be supplemental functionality that feeds back to the larger Voyant application?

When thinking about these features, how do you see yourselves physically working with the device and the client?  Is the screen size going to be large enough for a client to effectively see?  Are you going to lay the device on a table to do a presentation?  How do you see using a tablet as different than using a laptop with a keyboard and mouse?  I want a better grasp of these human factors, so we can develop apps that are going to be used effectively.

Leave your comments here on the blog.