Making Internal Web Apps into Software Apps

    When you're building an internal web app I think about some of the business solutions I  can create inside a company that might shrink the workload for my co-workers. Its awesome to see this happen but it only works where it makes sense, so below is some of these features I've easily used by general users.

Hotkeys - are power ways to help your users get what they want faster, and overlooked in my opinion. Since users are in house users can make requests on what the would like to see. I don't like use the excuse that your users are "dumb" especially in house. This is an argument I hear a lot and it bugs me. For example if the app looks like a excel sheet one would think it behaves like one, so include those hotkey! Below is a hotkey I look to use a lot with my users on a search page looking to you the typeahead feature I created. Instead I popup with the search automatically and return the results since it a common action. Another good example to look at is Gmail's hotkeys!
  • Quicksearch - use the Ctrl+Shift+F
    • this is different from Ctrl+F.
     You can make your hotkeys whatever but it's really important that your users know about them and take advantages of them. The reason I think "in house" users might want or need this more than basic users is simple. Your colleagues will use this application everyday (hopefully) get a lot of work done and need to be very familiar with how it works. Think of your "in house" a little above your basic web users isn't really a bad thing. As long as the design is still intuitive they should have no problem getting started. Get your users to return for these kinds of features.

Security - logging out users after timed duration is key sometimes. This is a feature that might really annoy some users if implemented poorly. This feature is worth looking into and asking while you are walking around the office, never know how has access to what machine.
Offline Mode - This is probably the biggest part for internal users and the most difficult piece to maintain. Which is why I think a lot of no-frontend developers will forget about this section or it will be completely ignored but mark my words it will someday be HUGE! Unless web browsers become completely replaced then this is the feature to bridge software apps and web applications!
  • Ng-storage
    • a good starting point if your using angular!
In App updates
   Just a idea, jQuery Notify Better by Pete R. | The Pete Design - when they are on new tab.
Linkedin already does this for there post feed and so does facebook.

Outcome & Goal
   Ultimately my goal has been to set myself up for success with other popular libraries that provider a interface to native app. Using either Windows Universal or cordova for example, your already set to make a web app into software app.


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