The first ten seconds: what each role sees when the app opens

The home screen is the one screen every user sees every time. It is also where most apps put what the team is proudest of, rather than what the person needs. A role-based home screen turns that around. You decide, for each person, what they most likely came to do and put it where their thumb lands.

These four examples are illustrative. Swap in your own roles and the same method holds.

The technician, standing at a door

They are on site, one hand busy, maybe with gloves. The home screen shows the current job at the top with the address, the contact, and a large button for the next step: start, continue, finish. Below that, the day's remaining jobs in order. Nothing else. No analytics, no news. Offline status sits in one line at the top: saved on this phone, syncing, synced.

The dispatcher, at a desk with a phone in hand

They are fixing problems. The home screen shows what needs a decision: jobs without a technician, jobs running late, a technician who has been silent for longer than usual. Each item has one action beside it, reassign or call. A count at the top tells them how many problems are open, and that number going down is how they know they are winning.

The branch manager, in a corridor between meetings

They want to know whether today is on track. The home screen is a short list of exceptions with a sentence each: two jobs late, one customer waiting more than an hour, one technician off sick. A tap opens the detail. If everything is fine, the screen says so in a single line, and the manager closes the app. That is a good outcome.

The customer, waiting for a visit

They want one answer: when is someone arriving. The home screen shows the arrival window, the technician's first name and photo, and a way to message or reschedule. After the visit, the same space shows the summary and the invoice. Everything else lives behind a menu they will rarely need.

Rules that keep it honest

• One main action per role. If there are two, one of them belongs on the second screen.
• Show state before options. People want to know where things stand before they choose what to do.
• Say it in their words. The technician sees "Jobs", the customer sees "My visit".
• Give an exit. NN/g's guidance on personalization recommends letting people switch views or reach everything, because needs change from one day to the next. A manager who covers a shift should be able to see a technician's view.

Test it with a stopwatch

Hand the phone to someone in each role and ask them to do their most common task. Time them from opening the app to done, and watch where their eyes go first. If finding the starting point takes longer than ten seconds, the screen is doing too much. Adjust it, then test again with a different person.

If you would like us to sketch the home screens for your roles, see our mobile apps practice and tell us who holds the phone.