Embedded Application & GUI Development
You need an interface that is intuitive, complex enough to suit a variety of use cases while still easy to use for even a novice user. The perfect Graphical User Interface (GUI) and underlying application separates average products from market makers and can transform terminally frustrated users into ambassadors for your brand.
WHAT IS EMBEDDED APPLICATION & GUI DEVELOPMENT?
Many embedded devices and machines that require interaction have screens, and those screens need a graphical interface to the underlying embedded application. The embedded application allows the machine or device to work as intended, and the interface allows users to exert control over how the device works. Whether an MRI machine in a hospital, a vending machine in an office break room, or a coffee machine in a kitchen, the embedded system software application and GUI of each determines utility, efficiency, and end user joy.
The main challenges of EMBEDDED APPLICATION & GUI DEVELOPMENT
Familiarity with embedded environments
Companies are often challenged to develop their own embedded applications because they lack familiarity building in embedded environments. Developing applications for these embedded systems calls for expertise in different programming languages and experience working with embedded hardware platforms that remain unfamiliar to higher level software engineers.
Difficulty mastering C++ and Qt
Embedded applications are generally written in C++, a high-level language designed for the resource-constrained environments typically found in small, mobile devices, IoT devices and IIoT machines. Similarly, GUIs for these connected devices and machines are typically written in Qt and experienced developers capable of working in C++ and Qt can be hard to secure and retain on staff.
Criticality of GUI to Commercial Success
It’s been said that embedded devices live and die on the quality of their GUI. The history of consumer and enterprise technology is replete with examples of embedded products that failed because their graphical interface didn’t meet the needs of end users or consumers. On the other hand, embedded systems with delightful, well-designed and intuitive interfaces can quickly establish themselves as commercial success stories.
Key elements to consider
FUNCTIONAL WORKSHOP
- Meeting with Product Owners
- Meeting with marketing team
- Meeting with end users
Architecture workshop
- Discussions with internal dev team
- Hardware & embedded software
- Product roadmap & cost estimation
Project & delivery
- Regular contact with teams
- Testing & validation with end users
- Delivery, guarantee & maintenance
SUCCESS STORY
Developing and advanced GUI on top of Philips coffee machines embedded software
Philips required advanced UI development and connectivity for a new range of Saeco connected coffee machines. Their embedded system, the Xelsis model, had to be ready for market in under two years. From the device operating system to the touchscreen UI, Witekio engineers helped Philips deliver a next-generation user experience by utilizing a platform-based approach to create custom embedded software for their multiple embedded systems (across a product range of four models), while ensuring they met the same standards and optimized development costs.
HOW TO do EMBEDDED APPLICATION & GUI DEVELOPMENT
Functional workshop
Developing or updating an embedded application and a GUI first involves understanding your product and its functional requirements.
First, our teams meet with your product owners, the internal champions most knowledgeable about the product, its capabilities, any weaknesses that need to be addressed, and any hidden strengths that need to be amplified. Our teams quiz and probe your team, asking the questions that help them establish where the product does and who it is for.
Next, we meet with your marketing team to understand how the product is positioned in the market, what competitor products exist, and what features generate the most interest for potential buyers. Questioning these key examples allows our teams to understand what metrics reveal about user preferences and the reason your product is preferred over others.
Then we meet with end users for the ultimate feedback on your embedded system in action. End users and consumers reveal what they like about your product and what frustrates them about it. They demonstrate how they use the product; we observe them interacting with the product and every specific function in real-world situations and develop a sense for what can or does set it apart.
Architecture workshop
When the functional workshops are complete, our teams begin the process of building a roadmap for the future of the embedded application and the associated GUI.
We undertake discussions with your internal development team to learn about the things that they have built, the decisions that they made, the technologies and languages they are comfortable using, and what direction they have planned to move the product and its embedded software towards in the years ahead.
Based on all of these discussions and workshops, our teams make a number of different proposals for hardware and embedded software combinations that could meet the needs of your users and expectations of your teams. Drawing on a wide expertise in a variety of industries over the last two decades, our teams explain the benefits and potential drawbacks of different options of hardware and software components.
When your teams have selected their preferred combination for your embedded system, we create a product roadmap. This document is complete with steps, features, KPIs, and delivery times for the various components, and encompasses both the development of the application and GUI and its testing and validation before handover.
Finally, with the roadmap agreed to, our team offers a clear cost estimate for the work that is planned. This cost estimate not only allows your teams to plan for the investment that you are making, but also to set internal benchmarks for the return you seek on this investment. It’s the final step before the development work begins, as all else is in place.
Project delivery
Preparations complete, the development of the application and the GUI begins.
Throughout this process, our developers and engineers remain in regular contact with your teams. Reporting weekly or fortnightly is common, and communication lines remain open as all specific tasks of the project plan are completed. Your teams are ‘in the loop’ from beginning to end, something that helps everyone from your technical teams to your sales and marketing teams prepare for product handover and launch.
The code that is written passes through a phase of extensive testing and validation to ensure it runs without issues and meets the performance KPIs that have been set. Standards for CPU usage, memory usage, and time consumption, as well as the physical and digital interfaces are tested and validated in line with the roadmap and project plan.
Following internal validation, our teams work with yours to test the product with end users. Armed with their input from the functional workshops, we check to make sure that the revised application and GUI meets their expectations and works not only in our testing environment but in the real world of users, too.
Satisfied and with the project complete, we undertake a final delivery and handover of the application source code as well as the associated instructions and comprehensive documentation. Your application is now back in the hands of your internal development teams who, being fully informed about the development of the embedded application and GUI throughout the process, have the confidence to deploy and support the new code.
Our work comes with a guarantee of quality. Our teams stand ready to address any bugs or issues that somehow made it through the multiple rounds of testing and validation, both internally and with end user groups. Project managers – even after delivery and handover – work hard to ensure that you join the 75% of Witekio clients that are repeat customers of the company.
Finally, while it is not mandatory, we recommend that any embedded application and GUI development project includes a maintenance component. Threats to your product are never static and attack vectors shift and change with each passing day. Regular over the air updates (OTA) can help keep your application running efficiently, secure from threats and bad actors, and resilient to attacks in an uncertain world.
The main benefits of embedded application & GUI development
State-of-the-at product
A well-developed embedded software application will help establish your device or machine as a state-of-the-art product in even the most competitive markets. Delivering embedded software on end user expectations and with opportunities for business development and marketing teams to differentiate the device or machine from competitors, the functionality of the device is enhanced, and its capabilities are maximized. The GUI, too, can help to meet and exceed all end user expectations in an increasingly device-centric market, with your reputation for cutting-edge software development enriched as your market share expands.
Increased customer satisfaction
Embedded systems that empower users or consumers to do what they want to do inevitably lead to greater levels of customer satisfaction. A graphical interface that feels intuitive and that demands simple input instead of extended learning and documentation reviews on the part of users is rewarded with positive reviews and increased market share. Satisfied customers, in turn, share their experiences with others, aiding your business development efforts with valuable, word-of-mouth endorsements. Nothing beats the authenticity of a satisfied customer promoting a product, and a straight line can often be drawn between your investment in software and just such an outcome.
Building brand equity
A single device, machine or product with a memorable GUI can help establish your company as a brand to be reckoned with. Investments in the ways in which end users interact with your products can differentiate a market defining product (the iPod with its menu navigation via click wheel) from a host of imitators (MP3 players with standard push button interfaces). Developing a reputation for products that people like to use builds brand equity and makes it easier to launch either the next iteration of your embedded system or a completely new one. By focusing on the end user and consumer, you can put daylight between yourself and your competitors.
Witekio can support your embedded app & GUI development
Witekio developers are experts in developing embedded system, embedded software, embedded application, embedded Linux operating system and real time embedded systems, with a 20-year history of success and many examples of embedded projects and expertise in multiple software tools like Qt, Flutter, Slint, etc. Working with hardware ranging from handheld devices to consumer robotics, wearable devices, medical devices to vending machines and kitchen appliances to industrial manufacturing and machinery, our teams have led the way in creating market-leading applications for demanding end users. Our experience in GUI development for graphics displays (monochrome, color screens, touchscreens and traditional button interfaces) is extensive, and our expertise is an enormous-added value that can be leveraged for your embedded system. Contact our team today to discuss your needs and expectations for your embedded systems applications.
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