Mobile first! desktops are nice but the ability to use an iPad and review reports and images is needed.
Think mobile first. If it works on the desktop it should work on an iPad.
I carry my iPad everywhere. My laptop is typically constrained to use where I can sit with space.
DroneDeploy was developed mobile first. Not sure what this means?
With the latest releases there are a lot of features that only run on the desktop. Example would be compare. You can’t do a side by side on the iPad.
“Mobile First” is a term used in software development that means every feature is built and tested to run on mobile devices then built for the laptop. This keeps network comms, background processing, memory and processor loads as low as possible.
This also considers network connectivity, meaning that, when designed to work in remote locations, the app will function with low or no connectivity.
Example, if you select the switch to make a project offline and there is no connectivity the app should present the offline projects and run them. It shouldn’t hang up trying to download online projects. The user may need to select “offline” mode for this to happen, but that would be designed into the app.
Make sense?
I am fully versed in software development and it does make sense, but I think the part that is missing is if you don’t understand the beginnings of DroneDeploy. It was developed mobile first primarily as an autonomous flight control software. It has developed over the years and as of late is starting to become more of a project management software which is much different and is not a mobile-centric workflow.
Fact is that DroneDeploy tailors to enterprises and companies where the big decisions are not made in the field and the analysis that takes place typically requires computers and integration with other softwares.
The field aspect is more for flight and consumption and side-by-side is definitely a great example of something that is missing. in my opinion it was just something that was thrown out there to suffice a need and was not fully developed. Its current form is okay for mobile, but for use in project management there are a ton of features that need to be added.
If you can think of a list of examples of processes that cannot be completed on mobile devices I’m sure they would be happy to take a good look at it and you could even continue them as feature requests.
Very helpful explanation. I’m long time enterprise software but new to the drone game. Didn’t know the history of development. Working to get a new business started and focusing on agriculture, as it is big in my area.
I agree as a project management solution there is a long way to go. Just hope they don’t forget you have to collect the data for it to be useful.
As time progresses I will be making my list of desired features. Already posted a couple around the UI.
That’s why we’re here. It’s a never-ending task and even with all the beta that we’ve done over the past 18-months and new feature releases there is still a huge queue that has to be balanced. A little mobile here, a little desktop there… In our situation reporting is probably the thing that is the most lacking. We have adapted to make the rest work, but comprehensive professional reporting would be the thing that really closes the gap between the office and the field.
It looks like they are falling into the trap of trying to have one app do both. They need to divide this into a desktop app, one that needs the horsepower for planning and reporting and a second that runs on mobile devices for data collection and light weight reports.
If they do that they can then expand into collecting preflight checks, flight logs, pilot time, etc.
There is functionality I want as a manager in the office that is not needed in the field. Example, assign flights to pilots. The pilot downloads flight detail. The pilot can plan and fly ad-hoc flights as well.
Perhaps these are functions of the enterprise license but they should carry down in the design. Perhaps Business license can have only one pilot, but there is still a division between desktop work and field work.
Fine line, I know and it will be different from business to business. Problem is the mobile devices have a horsepower limit.
Out flying this morning. Looks like some of the UI delays are directly related to device temp. The app pulls so much processing it is heating up the devices complicating the issue.
Off my soap box now. 
I agree that it will most likely come to this point as the software grows and DroneDeploy continues to try to fit the needs of the masses. It is a natural evolution of a data driven solution. We have determined how to capture the data and the basics of analysis and now we are in the phase of figuring out more mature analysis and external integration. I believe this is going to continue to be challenging because of the diversity of use-cases that are possible with drones.