Toplevel Unshackles Design and Configuration with the Open Design Studio Web Toolkit

London, United Kingdom, January 21, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Toplevel has developed a web-based version of Open Design Studio, its low code configuration tool kit for the Outreach case management platform, enabling users to access and configure system processes and Outreach components via the web. The toolkit will enable digital teams tasked with business transformation to access and configure interactive services from any device or location and has been developed in response to market demand for a low threshold, high access solution. Outreach Open Design Studio can be taken via a secure web interface, as a managed SaaS Cloud service or housed locally. This reduces the costs associated with local installation, updates and management; provides flexible access requiring minimal technical skills; and, facilitates coordination with technical partners online, making it easier to work collaboratively.

Outreach Design Studio 2016 has been developed as a fully web-enabled platform to solve two key issues: enabling non-technical staff to construct and build services and the need to liaise and collaborate with partners irrespective of their location. Up to 52 percent of organisations are concerned that their personnel lack the design capabilities to deliver positive end user experiences according to a recent Deloitte survey(*). The same survey also found that 74 percent of organisations choose to blend inhouse and contracted resource to develop digital services. These two key statistics indicate that there is a real need to reduce technical design requirements and to unshackle the user to facilitate collaborative working. Open Design Studio 2016 solves both these issues by providing a low-code virtual environment which is now available for the first time as a complete web-based solution.

Open Design Studio is a visual drag-and-drop tool that empowers business transformation teams to create, design and update digital interactive services. Its low-code capability ensures that business objectives determine the nature of the build ensuring services are accessible, easy to use and fit for purpose. Open Design Studio 2016 sees the Process Modeller graphical BPM tool, the eForm Digitiser for the creation of digital services, the Case Workflow Designer and the Document Designer become web-enabled tools to create a complete web-based tool-kit. Users can now design and configure business rules, workflows, document layouts, screen layouts, and other Outreach components over the web via Open Design Studio 2016 freeing them to work collaboratively, either fully or partially co-located.

Key benefits include:
· Zero installation costs – eliminates the need to install and maintain applications on the local user workstation by providing access via the web or a secure Cloud-based SaaS service. Delivery times can be cut by up to 50 percent compared to bespoke software deployments.
· Ease of use – web-based graphical interface makes it simple to access and manipulate Outreach components. Non-programmers are empowered to make changes to the look and feel and can perform simple data configuration.
· Flexible working – enables the coordination, configuration and deployment of services with colleagues or third parties. Is the ideal solution for Agile projects when taken as a managed SaaS Cloud service as it enables close collaboration even if team members are in split locations.
· Collaborative working for multi-disciplinary teams - empowers staff without programming skills to make changes to wordings, layouts and business logic and workflows according to their level of technical ability. Uses three tiers of access: Developers (unrestricted access to design features and code), Analysts (access to configurable logic and business rules) and Contributors (ability to edit text, visual styles and field placement only).
· Web-based learning – access to a library of self-help e-tutorials enabling the user to rapidly assimilate and apply designs without the need for any coding capability.

Open Design Studio 2016 Alpha release 1 is in trial with Toplevel customers who will help influence the design and form of the final solution. These customers also have access to e-tutorials and provide feedback via the Alpha sandbox. Changes will be incorporated into a Beta version in common with the digitally led delivery process pioneered by GDS. Open Design Studio 2016 will become commercially available in Q2 2016.

“Open Design Studio 2016 is evidence of our commitment to promoting open standards and reducing costs as it enables our customers to build and control services via the web, eliminating the need for local installation. Taking the Open Design Studio toolkit online means we are now able to offer Outreach as a complete web-based, purpose-built solution for UK government and public sector organisations. The web version still benefits from the same three tier role-based security access as the local and Cloud–based services and is proven for IL3/OFFICIAL Sensitive services. But where it really provides an advantage is in its promotion of collaborative working, making it even easier to efficiently design digital services, configure seamless staff facing case management and interact with systems integrators and third parties.”

Jane Roberts,
Toplevel's Strategy Director

(*)“Deloitte: Biggest obstacles to GOV digital transformation”, published July 2015, www.consultancy.uk/news/2294/deloitte-biggest-obstacles-to-gov-digital-transformation