I’ve noticed something in OpenMRS 3 that I wanted to discuss and get your thoughts on. It seems that whenever I switch from the Home app to another app (e.g., Laboratory, Ward, etc. or even looking at a particular patient chart{ cant logout here}), and then log out and log back in, I’m invariably redirected back to the Home app.
My question is: why can’t a user be returned to the app they were last using before logging out? It seems like a more intuitive user experience to pick up where they left off, rather than having to navigate back to the specific app each time.
This behavior feels a little disruptive to workflow, especially if someone is working extensively within a particular app. Having to re-navigate each time adds an extra step.
Is there a technical reason for this? Is it a known issue? Or perhaps something that could be considered for future improvements? I’d be interested to hear your perspectives and any insights you might have. Perhaps there’s a setting I’m missing, or a ticket related to this already?
This is a wonderful thought @suubi7 as we are currently looking for ways to improve user experiences while using OpenMRS
I recall during our site visits at OMRS24, one of the challenges observed was the quite lengthy(some redundant to specific users) options/apps & app navigations which would cause delays (or a feeling of delay to the user) especially in a clinic setting where time is surely of essence… so its good to bring this discussion around UX…
I think this implementation is very possible… a couple of questions or thoughts also come to mind though…
Would this affect our initial load time? … like now in most cases we have different users with different privileges… meaning we have to store last state of all these users & privileges & load them on login…
I would suggest we do a survey from anumber actual users… to ascertain surely if this presents/potrays the general users experience? Do most users want to pick off from where they left… coz most times practically one wouldn’t want to signout before finishing/completing a workflow, meaning when they return they start off from the beginning… save for cases like when power goes off, or an emergency and one was in the middle of a workflow & wants to resume on return…
Also at what level in the workflow or app to pickup from… should this be from from the OpenMRS default home, or specific app default landing page, or specific step in the app workflow where they left off…
I think there are good arguments to be made both for and against defaulting a user to ‘last visited app’ on sign-in.
If a user wishes to make an explicit choice, could it be something that they can choose and apply from their settings?
We may also want to think about the work going on as part of the ‘Home screen’ that @veronica and @grace have been researching and creating requirements for. If users are able to bypass a single screen that’s intended for everyone to see (either generic or personalised) following sign-in, they could miss important information or utility in future.
Sorry if I’m a little on the fence to be useful in this debate right now, but I’m interested to hear what others think, before we decide on a direction.
