FSN: Can accounting software be as cool as Apple’s iPod Touch?

Can accounting software be as cool as Apple's iPod Touch?

7th January 2008
The Apple iPod Touch and iPhone were high on this year's “must have” Christmas presents. Even before the seasonal rush there was a pre-launch clamour for Apple's new generation of iPod devices driven by a touch sensitive screen. By all accounts the technology has been outstandingly successful and instantly usable without training by people from all walks of life. So what lessons can the accounting software industry learn from a user interface designed for entertainment. Gary Simon , FSN's managing editor takes a look.

Apple iTouch

Since the advent of the first personal computers the Apple computer organisation has always approached the development of its technology and operating systems rather differently. Early users of the Apple PC will remember a number-pad separate from the keyboard, its unique operating system and graphical user interface that was often regarded as superior to the Microsoft Windows operating system of the time. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Apple is once again thinking ‘out of the box' and bringing leading edge developments to the market.

Of course time has marched on and Apple is on a different trajectory from its original path in personal computing. It is now more focussed on entertainment systems but like so many technologies developed for this sector the ideas and concepts are capable of being ported to the business world. But what is it that makes the iTouch generation of devices so compelling and is there anything in an entertainment system that can be of use in business setting.

Clearly there are certain aspects of the Apple offering that make it attractive that have nothing to do with business processes. By all accounts the brand is ‘cool' and there is no doubt that many people, the young especially, want to be associated with it.

Then there is the small overall size of the device, the lustre of its shiny black and metal casing and its slender width. It is an object of desire that fits unobtrusively into a pocket or handbag – features that are highly relevant for an entertainment system but less important in a corporate environment. Nevertheless, mobile connectivity is playing an increasingly important role in enterprise computing, with business intelligence, reports and alerts increasingly being delivered to remote workers on PDA and mobile phones.

The iPod Touch's screen size and clarity is unquestionably something to marvel at. Few mobile devices can deliver such high definition images. But it's the operating system and user interface where builders of accounting software should take note. How is it possible that such an inherently complex device can be so simple to operate?

The ability to drive applications through touch rather than using a mouse has instant appeal. The speed with which applications can be navigated and the immediacy of the response is very gratifying. The fact that a finger-driven approach can be implemented on such a small physical device is in deed a triumph of technology.

There are also important lessons for accounting systems in the way that information, for example, music albums, web pages, appointments and other files are displayed, searched and retrieved.

The management of web pages is masterly. Retrieving them wirelessly is a doddle but they can also be instantly rotated through 90 degrees to take advantage of the length of the iPod screen and expanded with a single spreading motion of the fingers. For businesses this holds the possibility of zooming in on financial reports on a tiny screen or reviewing web pages on a portal. Admittedly, this is easier for familiar reports with known layout, but the concept is definitely applicable more broadly.

But it's the browsing, searching and retrieval of information where the iTouch generation of software excels and which offers the biggest potential benefit to business users. Take for example the way that the ipod Touch displays record albums. Clearly, one of its main selling points is the ability to record and play thousands of records but how does one efficiently retrieve them on such a tiny device. The ipod Touch deals with search and retrieval in two main ways. Firstly, it displays lists (with subcategories). Touching on list headings, for example, musician, album name or music genre opens the list and with a flicking motion of the finger it scrolls at phenomenal speed through the alphabetic listing. The other way is to flick through images of album covers arranged on a virtual carousel until you recognise the album you want.

It does not take much imagination to see that the same concepts could be applied to thousands of supplier invoices, literally thumbing through images between date ranges or perhaps through product records by product group, guided by images of the finished item.

Arguably, entering data into an accounting system could also be quicker than mouse driven approaches. A virtual key pad, responsive to a light touch, could be more efficient than the mechanical alternative. It is interesting that touch screens are used wherever simplicity and ease of use is a priority. Think of airline e-ticket booths at airport check-ins, buying tickets for the railways and now of course entertainment systems.

Perhaps the touch revolution needs to be accompanied by developments in hardware to be appreciated fully. Computer monitors literally sunken flat into desktops may be the way forward or perhaps wall mounted touch sensitive screens without any keyboard.

To the iTouch generation the mouse is looking increasingly aged. It looks like time to take the ‘touchy-feely' stuff a little more seriously.

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