uMobile Roadmap discussion 081011

Owned by Patty Gertz
Last updated: Aug 10, 2011Version comment
3 min read

uMobile Roadmap Discussion

August 10, 2011

Attendees:  Bruce Tong,  Ohio University, Cornelia Bailey, University of Chicago, Jen Bourey, Unicon, Charisse Arrowood, Unicon,  Patty Gertz, Jasig, Jim Helwig, University of Wisconsin, Susan Bramhall, Yale, Jeff Cross, Unicon, Jim Layne, Unicon, Peter Sentz, BYU.

Phase I: uMobile 1.0

Subversion branch of uPortal 4.0, including uMobile specific portlets.  Have a quickstart, similar to uPortal. Can’t do an easy quickstart  for native apps, due to differing operating systems.  Documentation is similar in format to uPortal.  We have documented a different process for bringing up that functionality. News, calendar, map, courses will be included in the GA version.

Marketing Tasks:  Features documented, You Tube videos for feature set, install, screencasts, new website.

Current architectural choice is to upgrade to uPortal 4 or set up separate instance and run in ||.

Phase II:

Source control management.  Proposed move to github.  Consistent with other Jasig projects. Will facilitate contributions.

1)      Architectural improvements/Framework updates:

Performance improvements, especially calendar as experienced in conference apps.

Contributors encouraged to  become beta testers.

Ability to link to native modules.  Ex: Courses currently web based, want to be able to click thru professor’s name to contact info.

Android button integration (back, search, home)

User experience. Ex: Landscape mode navigation takes up too much space, especially for webview.  Ability to add application state (if you leave now, doesn’t remember where you were.)

Modules

2)      Map:

Need categories in browsing. Ex: Find only food.

Multi campus support.

More geo aware.

Leverage features of iPad, Android tablets to make better use o f real estate.

New map portlet in sandbox supports mobile.  New portlet could eventually replace google maps portlet.  Possible future integration with carddav?

** Question from Ohio – State Govt prohibits them from signing agreement with Google for premium service.  Could this new map portlet circumvent those problems?

3)      Courses:

UI display preference – should announcements be combined, sorted by course, or should primary sort be course, you click to see announcement? Should be a setting.

Connectors for Sakai, Moodle (Oakland?), Blackboard.

**  Need customer partners for each. Epic also?

Integrate with LMS search functions. Integrate with student info systems (PS, Banner). Info should come from  both places.

** Need customer partners for each.

4)      Directory

Copy and paste from tables.

Save to local contacts.

Tablet specific UI (iPads, Android Tablet).

5)      Calendar and News

Clunky admin interface needs to be improved. 

Need to add full editing functionality to match desktop side.

Has ability to show imbedded videos – extend to podcast, you tube.

News doesn’t have full support for import/export

6)      Announcements

Transition to jQuery mobile.

Adapt notifications portlet – info specific to you

7)      Misc

Dining, Athletics, Computing Facilities availability, must be generic with ability to link to data on campus.

Customer feedback:

UChicago – having problems upgrading to uPortal 4, so that will hold them up from evaluating uMobile.  Right now on Blackboard mobile. Hard to include a link to optimized mobile web version. (Using iFrame portlet does not require resubmission to iTunes store.)

Ohio University – Moving late fall to uPortal 4, uMobile after that (winter). Would like a special emergency notification function (ex: tornado warning).

New functionality augmented reality. Hold phone up, buildings highlighted, gives you info. See Yelp app as an example and see monocle. (Takes a lot of memory.)

What exists that makes users happy? News and events. Tours via an optimized website.

We will leave initial roadmap as is for now. These customers have been added to the uMobile working group meetings.