Usability Features for BIM 360 Field

[dharrison09]

After playing with BIM 360 Field to test it for new projects, my company has noticed that there a few key features missing from the iPad app that would make the program truly revolutionary.

Home Screen

The homescreen on the desktop website is phenomenal. The iPad app opens to an awkard screen with little guidance. Replicating that same startup experience would help the guys in the field navigate the software easier and get that same quick-glance information without being tied to a computer.

Inventory Tracker

Some projects require specific tracking of equipment unique to each project. Some care about counts of items, while others want the ability to follow exactly a particular object from the moment it's ordered throughout its life. For example, some projects only require that we know that X whatchamacallits came in today and Y were installed, while another project may want to know that thingamabob XX99 came off the truck on Tuesday, was installed on Thursday in spot 678.

These features could be tied into Equipment. Reports showing deltas should also be included in the software, for example, a report showing the discrepancy between how many whatchamacallits were delivered vs how many installed.

Issues

Once the "Issue" button is pressed, there's no turning back. As soon as the button is pressed, an issue is created. The only way to then get rid of the issue is to close it. However, all these issues show up in reports. It is too easy to create issues, which could lead to complatency in reporting. At a certain point, issues then become noise and aren't as closely paid attention to. A way to delete an issue and cancel its creation would help.

Barcodes

When a new barcode is scanned, the prompt screen should allow you to assign it to a piece of equipment. Currently a new barcode can only be assigned to a piece of equipment that already has a barcode set up. It would be nice to scan a new barcode and assign it to any piece of equipment from the prompt screen.

These are just a few features we found missing while experimenting and preparing presentations for clients.