The challenge in encouraging employees to utilize Kintone within your organization, may be attributed to the App's usability. A user-friendly system must meet the following criteria:

• High visibility
• Design consistency
• Business optimization

To fulfill these criteria, this article introduces simple App design settings that can be achieved with Kintone's basic functions.

Set App names that clearly convey their purpose

Name the App so users can easily identify who is using it and for what purpose. This will reduce the time and effort required to open the App and check its contents each time.

Bad Example

• "Management App"

Good Example

• "[Sales Department] Project Management App"

Add prefixes to App names

Apps that are created within Kintone's Spaces will be grouped together and displayed in the Apps section of the Space portal. This allows for easy access to Apps associated with the Space.

Naming the Apps to be arranged in an easy-to-use order within a space will improve usability. Since Apps in a Space are organized numerically and alphabetically, naming conventions follow this criterion.

For instance, using this naming convention, frequently used Apps such as the Project Management App will be listed in sequential order at the top. Therefore, the Project Management App can be prefixed with sequential numbers, such as “1” and “2”.

In contrast, Apps that are used less frequently will appear at the bottom of the list when using this naming convention. The File Sharing App, which may be used mainly as a target for Lookup fields, can be prefixed with “F”, while the Plug-in Settings App can be prefixed with “P”.

It is important to select icons that clearly convey the App’s purpose at a glance. Icons can be uploaded from any image, or can be selected from the list provided in the App Settings. There are web services available for downloading and creating icons for free, so consider utilizing these resources as well.

The App description is always displayed on the top of the App, whether on the Record List Views, Record Details page, or Record Create page. Therefore, important information such as how to use the App, App rules, and contact information for the Administrator can be included to inform users better.
Additionally, users can easily transition to other related Apps with a seamless flow by utilizing text formatting features and embedding links.

The Title Field is a string that appears in search results, notification titles, and page titles on the Record Details page. Set the Title Fields as the record's primary information that the user wants to know first. This allows users to identify information about a record at a glance. For more information, refer to the following article:
Setting a Title Field

The Color Theme of the App form and Record List pages can be changed for each App. The Color Theme is also applied to the Record Details page, making it easier for users to understand which Apps they are currently using.

For instance, different color themes can be set for the Business Trip App and the Travel Expense Reimbursement App. This can reduce confusion from users when using the Apps simultaneously, and can result in less entry errors. For more information, refer to the following article:
Changing the Color Theme of an App

Set up appropriate filters and fields in the View page

The default view in the Record List Views page is (All records). The (All records) view displays all of the Fields in the App. For better usability, the View can be customized by specifying the record filter conditions and selecting the fields to be displayed. This approach ensures that only the relevant fields are shown.

Choose a View name that identifies its use at a glance

Choosing a clear and recognizable name for the View is crucial, as this helps users quickly identify its purpose and access the relevant information. This approach is especially effective for Apps used by multiple departments.

Bad Example

• "View1"

Good Example

• "Tasks In Progress"

This section introduces 4 design enhancements that can be set in the Form Settings.

The App will look more organized and visually appealing if the field widths are aligned as much as possible. However, if a field's width is narrower than the input value, the input value may wrap into two lines within the field, which will make the App harder to read.

One effective method is to evenly divide the form width into units, such as columns. To enhance usability, it is essential to consider the typical width of the user’s display and limit the number of form fields to a maximum of four or five columns. This approach prevents the form from stretching too far horizontally, making it easier to use.

If the fields are arranged according to the task procedure, it will be more convenient for the users to fill out the form.

For instance, in the same App, the Inside Sales team types in the customer name and project summary while the Outside Sales team types in the project details. These fields can be separated into separate lines to make it easier for users to understand which team fills in which fields.

Create subheadings

Information on a form can be organized by using Labels to create subheadings within the form. Subheadings can be made more consistent by placing a common symbol as a prefix.

For instance, using a “🔶” symbol at the start of a subheading that matches the App’s color theme will blend seamlessly into the overall aesthetic and create a sophisticated impression. For more information, refer to the following article:
Label

Decorate field names

Field names cannot be formatted. However, by using Labels, they can be made to look formatted.
In the settings page of the desired field, select the option for Hide field name. Then, a Label can be added to the corresponding field to represent the name.

Unify color scheme rules

Define color scheme rules, such as “red for emphasis and blue for supplementary information”. This can reduce misidentification when establishing notes in App descriptions or labels, particularly for users who utilize multiple Apps.

Additionally, implement text format rules for setting text as bold and underlined. This can help ensure that even if Apps are created by different individuals, a consistent style for Apps is maintained. This results in users being able to navigate without confusion.

These rules can be used not only for Labels but also for App descriptions, design themes, icons, and more.

Footers can be used to display field values that were set automatically, such as Record number fields and Created datetime fields.

For instance, Borders can be inserted to separate the fields from the user input fields and the footer. Below the border, the footer can include the Record number, Created by, Created datetime, Updated by, and Updated datetime fields.

Communication within Spaces can be organized by separating Threads based on their topics. Therefore, it is crucial to name Threads appropriately according to the subjects being discussed.

The default Thread for a Space has the same name as the Space. Renaming the Thread to reflect its specific topic will help ensure all Threads are used effectively. For more information, refer to the following article:
Adding Threads

The Announcement section is commonly used to share important information in the Portal or Space. App information contained in record lists and graphs can also be pasted inside. A key feature of this function is that information in the record lists and graphs update automatically and show the latest information.

When managing important announcements for all employees through the App, posting the list of announcements on the Space/Portal's Announcement section eliminates the need to update the Space/Portal every time a new announcement is made.

For instance, sales graphs created from a Case Management App can be attached to the Sales team's Space’s portal to continuously inform members of their sales numbers. For more information, refer to the following article:
Attaching Apps to the Announcement Section or Threads of a Space

In this article, we introduced simple design enhancements that can be set with the basic features. With Kintone, Apps can be built to be user-friendly by focusing on visibility, consistency, and optimization for the task.