Its time to SPLASH your mind with SAP Build
SAP just launches the 4th release of SAP BUILD. The new name is SPLASH powered by BUILD. It shows that SAP have future plan to improve the SPLASH platform with multiple tools like BUILD. I’m very thrilled to see this platform evolution.
This platform is really what Fiori architect and designer were waiting for. A great tool that help people like me, bringing ideas and concepts into an application designer, where people can try the result by themselves and comment on the go the work in progress. This amazing tool helps architect like me building application prototype that looks and reacts exactly like a real SAP Fiori app. No more wasted time during the app development by going back and forth to the user to show the application by frame and then realized that what was built was not exactly what users have in mind. This application already helps me a lot on my architect job and makes me shine in front of customers.
Basically, BUILD empowers SAP project teams to easily create interactive prototypes that can be shared with your users. The major goals are:
- Build prototypes from sketches, built-in UI elements and floor plans, and leverage your own data.
- Conduct user research with surveys, annotations / comments and usage analytics.
- Accelerate development: finalized prototypes and generate UI 5 starter code.
- Link to Design Services and online training
PROTOTYPING
It took me some times to feel comfortable with the prototyping tool. I’m not a Fiori application developer or programmer, but more a solution architect that need to design Fiori application specific to user needs. Now i can say this tool help me to achieve my work in a very efficient way. With the latest release, you can now clone a Fiori app template provided by SAP and then starts modify it. There are more than 20 templates available right now and they cover a great span of scenarios. With this prototyping tool you can:
- Start from an existing Fiori Application template and build your own
- Start from a picture of the design you did on a white board or on a corner of a napkin.
- Start from an Excel file with your data in it. SPLASH will bring the data in your prototype and show information based on user selection like a real app.
- Add controls like button, hotspot in your design to simulate actions in the mock-up
- Add pages to your prototype so you can simulate subpages to the main page like item details, data mining, …
- Make it more precise by adjusting control property so the prototype will react like in reality
- Try it along the way so you can see how it reacts in real life.
- Publish your prototype and invite other members to join you and collaborate on your project
No more needs of mock-up design tools to do this. I use to work with Balsamiq, but i found those kind of tools limited in a certain way because they were not following Fiori guidelines and basic concepts. Now SPLASH fits perfectly with SAP Fiori and accelerate by 10 the design and conception phase.
Here an example of the prototype designer tool.
STUDYING
SAP SPLASH allows you to invite your client to join and try your prototype and the most important give you feedbacks. No more need to display your prototype in front of users and do a focus group. This can be done remotely by inviting your users to try their future Fiori application before writing a single line of code. The main features of the study tools are:
- Create multiples researches and tryouts of your prototype along the design process
- Use your prototype and assign task to your crowd so they can follow your guidance in their trial
- Use pictures of your hand drawing or logos for your app to probe your audience
- Ask users to complete a task by giving you feedback through annotations directly located in your prototype for review, through free text format or by selecting multiple choice of answers
- Publish your study and invite people to try your application
Once launched, you can follow the progress of your study live! You can now see how people react with the application and learn what they have to say about their experience. Many KPIs and graphical analytics are proposed like:
- Number of participants who try your application and the average time they use the platform
- Number of annotations and comments posted
- How many people like your applications functionalities, or get neutral or dislike
- What was the fastest time to complete the required tasks
- How many participants succeed to complete the tasks, fail or abandon
From there, you can get access to all annotations, comments and feedbacks from users. You can see where exactly in your prototype user put there annotation and the heat map of your screen where used clicked the most during their trial.
Here some examples of analytics, annotations and heat map.
BUILDING
Once your application prototype is ready, it’s time to move on and start the building process with WEB IDE. I didn’t experiment this last step but SPLASH seems to be integrated with WEB IDE. If its really the fact, this is very cool! I will investigate this feature pretty soon an come back to you with more details.
You can try the beta version of SPLASH by using this link: SplashApp
See that video introduction to SPLASH: UXies 2015 Honorable Mention Winner – SAP Splash – Design Better Experiences by SAP Labs – YouTube
Would love to try it out 🙂
Hi Tejas, head to https://www.experiencesplash.com to self register and get access. Enjoy!
Splash is in BETA mode right now, but the 4th release of the solution is pretty strong and is available for free trial. Enjoy at SplashApp!
There was a webinar last week to present the latest release of Build. You can review the webinar at https://sap.na.pgiconnect.com/p9dgwe735zd/. Passcode is Splash.
You can also enroll for 2 additionnal webinar for more in-depth knowledge about the solution. Here are the future meeting:
1. User research using Splash and BUILD
December 2nd 2015, 8am PST / 11am EST / 5pm CET
2. High Fidelity Prototyping and data binding
December 9th 2015, 8am PST / 11am EST / 5pm CET
You can join both Webinar using this link: https://sap.na.pgiconnect.com/splash-build-update/
Hi Daniel
Excellent article! One point I would like to correct having recently clarified this with the BUILD and Splash teams myself.
In the article, you have interpreted "Splash powered by BUILD" as indicating that BUILD is the umbrella under which Splash is a tool - a perfectly reasonable interpretation.
However actually it's the other way around. Splash is the umbrella site and entry point under which a number of tools and services will be offered/made available - the first tool to be made available is BUILD.
Splash is currently offering also a bunch of easy accelerators for incorporating design thinking techniques into your UX journey, a Gallery of inspirational prototypes that can be cloned into BUILD, links to Design Services and online training, and I am personally aware of a couple of upcoming tools that are planned to be include in Splash in the near future.
I hope that helps clarifies the position of BUILD and Splash for you and others enjoying your excellent article and links.
Rgds,
Jocelyn
Thank you Jocelyn for your clarification. The title of the product is quite ambiguous. I will update my blog right away.
Daniel
Great Daniel!
I take the opportunity to ask you a question:
Am I missing something here? I tried to scroll down to see all controls available and I can't! If I search for controls I can see it but not able to scroll down in all. Sometimes the scroll bar is visible but not always. I tried different browsers and still. Any idea?
Kind Regards,
Gilson
HI Gilson
BUILD is still Beta so expect some rough edges. If you have problems correct support channel for now is to email contact.build@sap.com. I find it easier to search for controls by name or partial name so perhaps see if that helps you
jocelyn
Hi Jocelyn,
Thanks for your responser. I am searching for controls by name. It would be great to have a document with all of them, description and function. Any idea? I will ask the development team anyway. I am prototyping with Axure and although the tool at this stage is far better than Splash/Build, we will get there. I am here to contribute!
Kind Regards,
Gilson
That's great Gilson! Ok so when you search it filters the list of controls & if there are only a few to look at the scroll disappears as that's not needed. Leave the search empty & you should be able to scroll through the complete list.
You may also find this blog helpful in understanding how SAP is positioning BUILD vs professional design tools such as Axure
Make it work … Skilling up for UXaaS Design with SAP BUILD
Hi Jocelyn,
It is the other way around: I start with no filter and I can not scroll down all options. When I search something like "Header" comes 3 results and scroll is not necessary. I am going to try in a Windows computer as I am using Mac and browsers for Mac might being causing it.
Kind Regards,
Gilson
Hi Jocelyn,
It is a Mac IOS when running Safari or Chrome! I tested it in my Windows PC and I can see the scroll bar. Shame because I use my Mac for my prototypes 😥 ! I am not patient to use Windows! At least I can see all elements in one PC and search in my Mac.
Kind Regards,
Gilson
HA! Great detective work... Ok so report that to contact.build@sap.com - I know Chrome is the preferred browser. Not sure of Mac status
Hi Gilson, Jocelyn,
Chrome lastest version is supported on both MacOs and Windows.
Best regards
Thomas
Thank you Jocelyn for taking care of Gilson request. I tried on my side on Safari and i can scroll down the list of controls with my mouse roller even if there is no scroll bar visible. But i found other issues with the interface like no refresh of pages when i select a new one. SAP should list browser supported with a minimum version required to use splash.
Hello Daniel,
It is in the Help, we should make it more visible.
Projects Overview
Best regards
Thomas
Hi Daniel,
Thank you! I exchange some messages and I told my version of Mac OSX El Capitan. After this information seems you guys, or others, worked in a solution. It is fine now.
Thank you!
Great and would try it out .
I have registered and able to access the tool but controls are not loading in the left side navigation. Is any one know, what could be the reason? is any body know?