What is better about EW5 other than it looks better?
The difference is not so much in looks as it is in usability: we're simplifying it to make the software much more user friendly.
This goes in several directions:
1. access all information in one simple navigation window.
Let's say you're looking for an outstanding invoice for a patient. Right now in EW4 you'd have to find the patient, open the file and wait until it's loading, open the financials page, double-click the invoice (wait until it opens), check it out and then print it out and so on.
In EW5 with the EW Explorer you'd find the patient, view it in preview, then select the "Open Balance" item and reveal in a new column the list of outstanding invoices for that patient, then select the desired invoice to preview it in a new column and from there do whatever you want with it. No need to open the file, the invoice or anything else since you're just browsing, you're not planning to change any of this info. This feature alone will save you a lot of time. Not to mention that most of the information that is now disparate in various lists (like tasks, inventory, bills, marketing campaigns, etc) will be accessible in this navigation window.
2. start things in the easiest way possible.
Take a Clinical Report for example: right now in EW4 you open a new clinical report and you need to move through the multitude of fields in order to select what you want. You always select all lines, you always select one of the defaults or type in a new one, and you have to focus your attention on various small parts of a large window. This is not ideal because it doesn't help you stay focused on one information at a time.
In EW5 we've shifting more of the interface on wizards. For a report for example you'd first select a patient from a visible list (no need to drop-down), then you're taken to select the type of report, again no drop-down then taken through all the other steps one by one. So with very few clicks and no effort at all to figure out what's next you'll end up with a finalized report. These wizards are optional so if you choose not to use them that's also possible, depends what you prefer.
3. make the window contents more legible.
We've designed EW4 pretty well but for some reason most windows still have a very small font in order to fit as much content as possible.
In EW5 we redesign the windows to fit the same amount of info but in a more generous way, allowing for more legibility and ease of use. Then we're also grouping similar actions in a very simple list in a side-bar of each window.
4. easy overviews
In EW4 you need to run reports to see where things are at. In EW5 we focus on dashboards and KPI (Key Performance Indicators) to help you get an overview of your business at any time without running a bunch of disparate reports.
And there's more to it.
Again, this is not about making things prettier, the good looks are more of a by-product.
Our goal is to make things much easier to use by following the "Don't Make Me Think" principle.
We've drawn inspiration from various sources including Mac OS, iPhone, iPad and web apps - from all things designed to be easy to use and make sense to every person - to help the EW users not get lost in the multitude of features.
EW5 is not a face-lift, but a significant evolution from User Interface to User Experience as the core purpose of the software.
What does the main screen look like? It is still in tabs like EW4 or does those screen shots occupy the entire screen?
The main layout remains the same in EW5 because it works.
EW5 is still based on tabs, the EW explorer is in a tab (you can have multiple explorers open in multiple tabs).
The floating windows are still floating and the dock and side bar are still there.
The side bar will be slightly reorganized since some content like tasks is not needed there, but the principle remains the same.
Moreover the menu and toolbar will be kept as well. The toolbar will have a few more options but many of the current options will stay.
As i said, this layout works, everybody gets it and it's great.
Now, maintaining this layout, we are focusing on the aspects that make a significant difference - usability, navigation, access to actions, reporting and overview.
The reason I selected EW4 is because it is the most comprehensive clinic management system out there and that's what I really appreciate about it.
I just wanted to make sure EW5 has not been overly simplified to make it more appealing to the average clinic.
We will not remove any features, that's certain.
We are redesigning parts of the interface so the software becomes easier to use but we'll keep its power, which is in its comprehensiveness - our main differentiator.
