Don't Leave it to the Vendors!

I couldn't agree more with a recent post by James Robertson at Step Two when he suggests that companies shouldn't rely on vendors to supply mobile interfaces for their products.

Let’s go back in time to when the web became popular. Enterprise apps all started delivering web front ends for use by staff. What did we end up with? A separate ESS portal from the HR vendor, a web login to the ERP system, a separate interface for the online timesheet, and a standalone staff directory.

This applies just as much to libraries. Now that we're in an environment where we are sourcing web products and services from multiple vendors - the ILS, online databases, electronic journals, e-book suppliers and so on - libraries are finding their web presence increasingly fractured. We're sending users all over the place.

The vendors are trying, they offer the option to customise the colours and add your logo to their web products (bless them!) but it never quite looks or works the same as your website.  To my mind they are focusing on the wrong place.  We need to demand they put more effort into building ways to integrate with their data, rather than try and be the complete solution.  As James puts it...

We should expect them to provide good integration options, including web services and tailored interfaces. We should demand that they make it easy for us to draw out the information and functionality we need to deliver the mobile solution that staff require.

But libraries aren't of the hook. We are complicit.  We haven't put enough money or effort into recruiting or developing staff that can work with these new technologies and techniques.  We invest large amounts of money in web based products but not all that much in making sure our users can take advantage of them - easy user interfaces from a single, well thought out starting point.

Go and read the whole article (it's only short).