As everyone knows, the future of work is becoming increasingly mobile. The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend has dramatically impacted the way people work. In my “Super Mobile” research last summer, I interviewed physicians, hospital administrators and those in the pharmaceutical industry on the impact of personal mobile devices for workflow, sales and business operations. Tablets are now even more powerful and ubiquitous.
Organizations struggle to manage and stay ahead of this complicated mobile arena as individuals design their own preferences for workflow and productivity.
How does workflow change in a mobile environment? Can your tablet completely replace a laptop?
I actually was sure that I was going to fail in this experiment. I thought I would go back to my normal laptop because I didn’t think it would work.
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LESS IS MORE AND SIMPLICITY KEY TO TABLET APPS FOR WORKFLOW
The more apps that I had, it was a task in itself to remember what’s there and what I had.
Initially, the app I used the most is SketchbookPro. People use it for sketching, but I use it to quickly record my ideas. What I normally would record on paper, I was able to do with a stylus. Taking my diary onto the iPad was very interesting for me.
iA Writer is a very nice application that allows me to type very quickly. I have this app on my laptop as well. With iCloud, I have the note I entered on the iPad also available on my laptop.
With Notability, I could take notes. I could sketch, and I could also record the live conversation from a meeting or workshop.
I like the simplicity of MindNode. I found mindmapping applications with too many features distracting. The features would become more important than what I was actually trying to record, so I went back to MindNode.
The Business Model Generation app is a very impressive app, and not available on the laptop. So that was very nice to have.
Wordflex Touch Dictionary app is a tactile, interactive reference for word lovers in association with the Oxford University Press.
I would recommend taking a look at Wordflex–it’s amazing!
PHYSICAL TOOLS
ADDING A PHYSICAL KEYBOARD VIA BLUETOOTH
I needed to use a physical keyboard for about 10 percent of the time for my most intense work typing via the iA Writer application.
STYLUS
For the majority of my work, I was typing on the iPad directly and using a stylus consistently.
VGA ADAPTER and DIGITAL AV Adapter
I do a lot of meetings and make presentations, so I ended up buying the VGA Adapter and the HDMI connector. The iPad does very well in these conditions–quick start, get onto the discussion, it gets recorded, you make your notes, and that’s that.
AREAS WHERE IPAD APPS COULD IMPROVE: COLLABORATION TOOLS
FINAL ADVICE
One has to look at how one works, and not have too many applications. Also, you are not sitting in one place and working. So when an idea strikes you, you have the option of noting it down quickly, and going back later to flush it out further.
THE CONTINUED METEORIC RISE OF THE iPAD IN HEALTHCARE
Syamant is interested in a more in-depth experiment on the iPad. He is studying mobile trends and the use of iPad applications for healthcare in India.
- What percentage of your workflow takes place on an iPad or another tablet?
- Do you think a tablet can completely replace your laptop in the near future? Why or why not?
- What are the go-to tablet apps you have come to depend on in your workflow especially mHealth apps?
- How is your workflow changing in a mobile environment?
Recommended Reading: Could I really ditch my laptop for an iPad? by c|net