{"id":262,"date":"2010-09-07T08:44:51","date_gmt":"2010-09-07T15:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kevinneal.com\/blog\/?p=262"},"modified":"2011-02-19T12:43:58","modified_gmt":"2011-02-19T19:43:58","slug":"262","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kevinneal.com\/blog\/262\/","title":{"rendered":"Document Capture from the user\u2019s perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sometimes it is not the technology itself that dictates either the success or failure of a particular technology.\u00a0 I believe that the \u201cuser experience\u201d helps drive adoption of a particular technology or ultimately will bring its demise.\u00a0 Let me give you a few examples.\u00a0Microsoft Windows:\u00a0 Ask yourself this question; self:<\/em> Was Windows the most robust and feature-rich operating system when Microsoft introduced Windows in the early 1990\u2019s?<\/em> Probably not, but what Microsoft clearly understood was that the Windows Graphical User Interface (GUI) and ease of use from the user perspective was going to be a key to their success.\u00a0 Microsoft Windows now dominates market share among operating system software available in the market today.\u00a0 The next example is the iPhone and iPad.\u00a0 Unquestionably two extremely successful products released by Apple in recent years.\u00a0 Most people will agree that the elegant User Interface and ease of use is one of the driving factors for the success of the iPhone and iPad.\u00a0 My point is Document Capture vendors, both hardware and software, as well as even system integrators, should carefully consider how the user themselves interact with scanning applications and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems.\u00a0 True adoption of a technology only happens with users fully embrace the technology wholeheartedly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n


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Businesses and organizations scan documents to capture information – not because it\u2019s a fun activity like playing World\u2019s of Warcraft on a Windows operating system; updating ones Facebook status on an iPhone or even watching a hi-def movie like Avatar on an iPad.\u00a0 Document Capture is implemented for several reasons including reduced operating costs, improved efficiencies or adherence to compliance. However, \u201cfun\u201d is clearly not near the top of the list.\u00a0 We must take this into account when presenting users with various methods of document capture. <\/span>Therefore, I would like to share some of the common techniques that are used to scan documents into ECM\/ERP\/CRM\/EMR systems.\u00a0 These three general methods (manual indexing, automatic indexing and network scanning) of capture are intended to illustrate various ways to accomplish capturing scanned documents to these systems however; the specific techniques utilized will vary depending on individual organizations requirements. <\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n


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Three methods of document capture<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Manual Indexing<\/span><\/em><\/strong> offers a simple and cost effective way for scanned images and associated search words to be imported into document management systems or simply to make access to these scanned images easier.\u00a0 In order to provide ECM users with relevant search results instead of vague results, metadata must be associated with documents.\u00a0 \u00a0Adding metadata<\/a> to documents is a critical step in making an ECM system effective and not just simply an electronic replication of a previously paper-based system of disorganization.\u00a0 The general concept of Manual Indexing allows a user to scan a document, choose a destination directly within the ECM Library then manually (as opposed to computer-processing) type metadata for that particular document type and then release into a back-end system.\u00a0 This is drastically different than scanning to a folder, then importing.\u00a0 Scanning to a folder is not an integrated approach.\u00a0 This direct communication between an ECM back-end system (server) and scanning application software (workstation) allows for real-time changes within the ECM system to immediately be applied to the scanning application software.\u00a0 Once the destination\/document type has been selected by the user any associated metadata or search terms, are dynamically presented to the user for indexing purposes.\u00a0 These index fields are specific to each document type and business rules to establish continuity in your document capture process can be transparently delivered to scanner users without any disruption whatsoever..\u00a0 A manual indexing approach to document capture is best for ad-hoc use or low volume scanning requirements such as a knowledge worker scanning an occasional document where the amount of index fields is limited to under 50 total fields per day as a best practice.\u00a0 Anything more than 50 total fields per day becomes quite tedious and should dictate consideration for some level of automation within a document capture strategy.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Use scenario:<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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  • Ad-hoc<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Low volume<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Desktop environments<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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Benefits of Manual Indexing:<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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  • Easy to learn<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Simple to deploy<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Inexpensive<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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Scanner requirements:<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n