Visual Workflow Designer for Non-Technical Application Development
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Solution Overview
Problem
Business and consumer applications often require complex programming to interact with remote data sources, necessitating expertise that typical users lack, making it difficult for non-technical individuals to develop applications that access and manipulate data from services like cloud platforms.
Innovation Solution
A workflow development system that allows users to create workflows without programming skills, enabling interaction with various services, conditions, and actions, including push notifications and subscriptions, by selecting and configuring workflow steps through a graphical user interface, which generates executable logic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional programming approaches are used to develop applications that interact with remote data sources, then the applications can achieve complex functionality and service integration, but the development process becomes too complex for non-technical users and requires specialized IT expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a visual workflow designer as an intermediary tool between non-technical users and complex backend services. This workflow designer provides a graphical interface with drag-and-drop components that abstract away the programming complexity while maintaining the ability to integrate with multiple remote services and data sources, thus resolving the contradiction between functionality and complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical programming system (writing code, compiling, debugging) with a visual configuration system. Users interact with the system through graphical elements and point-and-click operations instead of textual programming, substituting the mechanical act of coding with a more accessible visual manipulation paradigm while achieving the same functional outcomes
2Reliability
If professional developers are involved to create custom business applications, then the applications can be properly developed with correct functionality, but the dependency on IT personnel increases and reduces user autonomy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables end-users to independently develop and deploy their own business applications through the visual workflow designer without requiring professional developers. The system provides self-service capabilities including template selection, parameter configuration, and automatic code generation, allowing users to create reliable applications autonomously and thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining application correctness
3Manufacturing precision
If complex programming is required to access and manipulate cloud service data, then precise data control and service integration are achieved, but the ease of manufacture of applications decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the application development process into discrete, pre-defined workflow components and building blocks. Each component handles specific data manipulation tasks with precise control capabilities, and users can assemble these segmented components through visual configuration. This segmentation maintains manufacturing precision for data control while dramatically improving ease of manufacture by eliminating the need for complex programming
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for developing workflows. An input control may be rendered in association with the rendered representation of a workflow step corresponding to an input parameter. A developer is enabled to interact with the input control to select a parameter value for the input parameter. A workflow is enabled to be developed that includes a push notification workflow step configured to issue a push notification when encountered in the work flow and to wait for a response before enabling the workflow to continue. A workflow saved in a user folder is enabled to be selected for insertion into further workflows. A subscription workflow step may be selected for inclusion in a second workflow that is configured to wait for output information from a subscribed-to workflow before enabling the second workflow to continue.