4 ms·

+1 For Postgres with Binary JSON, when that feature was added a few years ago it completed changed the value prop in how we respond to customer requests (them:

by moflome 10y ago

+1 For Postgres with Binary JSON, when that feature was added a few years ago it completed changed the value prop in how we respond to customer requests (them: "can you please add two extra fields for fax numbers?" us: "who needs two fax numbers?") @Tyre: we use React on the front end but have struggled with meeting customer's UI expectations for Master/Detail displays of tabular data... the mobile UI design paradigms on this are so rich, are there any best practices for web UI? Thanks!

arethuza 10y ago
Quite a few applications (e.g. Dynamics CRM) dynamically create database columns when fields are added at the application layer - works pretty well and create a relatively clean relational data model. NB Mind you - I can definitely see the advantages of using JSON but a lot of developers seem to resist dynamically altering relational database structures when it can actually work pretty well.
tyre 10y ago
Our first hire on the product side was a UX/Product designer specifically for this reason. CRMs are incredibly complex and making it easy to use is a real challenge. What expectations are you having trouble with? As for mobile, I wouldn't try to have it do everything that the desktop version does. It's just not possible, at least not well, with that size screen and type of input.
- moflome 10y ago
  The point I was trying to make about mobile is that "master/detail" patterns are well established and the UX clear (cf. Android & iOS default address book apps); this is not the case on the web. Each of SFDC, SugarCRM, Insightly (and presumably Romulus) uses a different pattern. And if you look at front-end frameworks for guidance (Bootstrap, Foundation, cx_codaxy [0]) most don't do more that provide data tables with in-line edit; rather tedious for CRM with several dozen fields. We try to use UX analysis tools and interview users (Inspectlet, UserTesting) but we still sense a lot of frustration & confusion... Sorry, this is heading off topic for the OP, but interesting to note the priority of your first hire -- smart choice! [0] http://cx.codaxy.com http://cx.codaxy.com

by moflome 10y ago

arethuza 10y ago

Quite a few applications (e.g. Dynamics CRM) dynamically create database columns when fields are added at the application layer - works pretty well and create a relatively clean relational data model. NB Mind you - I can definitely see the advantages of using JSON but a lot of developers seem to resist dynamically altering relational database structures when it can actually work pretty well.

tyre 10y ago

Our first hire on the product side was a UX/Product designer specifically for this reason. CRMs are incredibly complex and making it easy to use is a real challenge. What expectations are you having trouble with? As for mobile, I wouldn't try to have it do everything that the desktop version does. It's just not possible, at least not well, with that size screen and type of input.

moflome 10y ago
The point I was trying to make about mobile is that "master/detail" patterns are well established and the UX clear (cf. Android & iOS default address book apps); this is not the case on the web. Each of SFDC, SugarCRM, Insightly (and presumably Romulus) uses a different pattern. And if you look at front-end frameworks for guidance (Bootstrap, Foundation, cx_codaxy [0]) most don't do more that provide data tables with in-line edit; rather tedious for CRM with several dozen fields. We try to use UX analysis tools and interview users (Inspectlet, UserTesting) but we still sense a lot of frustration & confusion... Sorry, this is heading off topic for the OP, but interesting to note the priority of your first hire -- smart choice! [0] http://cx.codaxy.com http://cx.codaxy.com