”WITH MJØLNER’S HELP, WE RAISED THE USER

EXPERIENCE OF OUR APPLICATION SIGNIFICANTLY”

2nd Issue 2015

Rasmus Tarp Vinther, Director of Plant Applications, Vestas

ELEVATING BUSINESSES THROUGH TECHNOLOGYTechnology gives us endless possibilities and allows us to

get the most out of what we already have, or what we can

easily build.

Whether you make money on wind energy, eldercare, or

anything in between, your business could probably benefit

from technology in one way or the other.

Our clients are a varied bunch and with a focused approach,

technical insight, and clever stakeholder involvement, we

help them find new ways to elevate their businesses with

the use of technology. This edition of Mjølner UPDATE is

a testament to that.

On the following pages, we bring you stories about

our work with Vestas and Silkeborg Data. By putting

their businesses first and delivering strong code, our

consultants have helped them create solutions that take

their products to the next level.

We also bring you a new service tool concept to help

industrial clients use Big Data, the Internet of Things, and

IT in general in a new and profitable way.

As a tech fix, we teach you how to strengthen your

customer relations through great user interfaces.

Finally, we bring you stories from our two events during

Internet Week Denmark. They were all about digital

innovation, business, and getting your hands dirty.

Best Regards,

Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO

EDITORIAL

UPDATECover Photo: V112-3.0 MW, Macarthur, Australia

Courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S

VESTAS: USER-CENTRIC& SALEABLE SOFTWARE

CASE

Vestas Online Enterprise offers customers a historic and real-time understanding of the return on their wind power investment.

Vestas has been moving towards more user-centered

software development for quite some time. Their new

web application - Vestas Online Enterprise (VOE) – is a

great example.

By user-centric prioritization of data, a simple design, and

intuitive navigation, VOE allows customers to monitor the

output of their park.

VOE gives customers a historic and real-time under-

standing of the return on their wind power investment.

A Web-Based SCADA SystemVOE is a web-based SCADA system providing plant owners

and other user groups with an easy KPI overview.

The application targets a broader user group than the

typical expert user with in-depth technical insight.

In this user group, you will find owners of smaller wind

parks, perhaps even a farmer with just a single turbine.

These users do not need deep analysis tools. They simply

need to know whether the turbine is running smoothly

and providing the promised availability.

New User GroupsWith new user groups follow new demands. Vestas turned

to Mjølner, when they needed support in detecting and

matching these demands.

Mjølner’s consultants have raised the user experience of

our application significantly. Our domain knowledge and

their technical capabilities have really made our teamwork

seamless, and they came up to speed very quickly.

- Rasmus Tarp Vinther, Director of Plant Applications, Vestas

With a team of three - a user experience consultant,

a digital designer, and a software developer - Mjølner

supported Vestas’ work with the user experience, interface

appeal, and software integration.

Software as an Individual CommodityViewing software as an individual commodity rather

than standard equipment brings some new perspectives

to the table.

In order to convince potential customers to buy the

software, it needs to be user-centered, effective, and

appealing. Mjølner’s knowledge about technology and

users became a valuable asset here.

Mjølner’s consultants have been great to work with.

Their professionalism and enthusiasm made it a great

experience where we gathered new insights along the way.

- Rasmus Tarp Vinther, Director of Plant Applications, Vestas

In addition to the functionality benefits of more

customized software, there are branding potentials as

well.

As software becomes more user-centric, it builds closer

customer relations and strengthens customer loyalty, due

to the value that the customized service brings.

V112-3.0 MW, Lemnhult, Sweden

Courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S

CASE

Product Interface Design

Adding the User Perspective

User and Customer Research

Business-Aligned Systems Engineering

Integration & Architecture

Activities

Requirement specification, wireframing, design,

and software development.

MJØLNER SERVICES & SOLUTIONS USED

“Mjølner’s consultants have raised the user experience of our application significantly.

Rasmus Tarp Vinther, Director of Plant Applications, Vestas

CONCEPT

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Working closely with the industry sector, it is clear to us that these businesses can benefit greatly from the Internet of Things, Big Data, and IT in general. This is our take on a service tool concept.

Our service tool concept supports the business-critical and dynamic tasks of a

service technician on the go. All to optimize product lines, reduce costs, raise

quality, speed, and security, and build your business.

The day starts with a task overview provided at home by an app.

Route planning guides your service technician to the right places at the right time.

Sensors enable quick positioning, making it easy to drop off or pick up the correct components.

Easy remote control, touch screens, and predictive service and maintenance solutions

support a smooth workflow at the manufacturing site.

Completed tasks are reported in real-time to HQ and customers while on the go.

A management dashboard with analysis tools allows administrators,

management, and technicians to work together seamlessly.

The service tool allows manufacturing companies to gain more business by

better time managment, fast information flows, and proactive decision

making on the basis of real-time data and visibility.

A TOOL FOR YOURSERVICE TECHNICIAN

CASE

FROM ONE PLATFORM TO ANOTHERWITH SILKEBORG DATA With manpower, technical assistance, and con-sultancy, we helped Silkeborg Data perform the migration part of the front-end of their wage system, Silkeborg Løn, from one platform to another within a short time frame.

Silkeborg Data has more than 40 years of experience

within salary and personnel administration.

At present, 28 municipalities, 4 regions, and more than

100 public institutions use Silkeborg Løn. The many users

speak for themselves and make Silkeborg Data the most

successful Danish provider of salary systems.

With a consideration of the users’ needs, Silkeborg Løn is

easy to navigate and effective. It was crucial to Silkeborg

Data that the migration to a new digital platform did not

inconvenience Silkeborg Løn’s many users.

New Platform and Architecture At the end of last year, it became clear to Silkeborg Data

that Silkeborg Løn needed to move to a JEE platform

supplier, as the existing one would no longer be supported.

With the shift from Websphere Application Server 6.0

to JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 5.1.2, Silkeborg

Data has achieved a sustainable platform which enables

Silkeborg Data to continue delivering prestine services to

their customers.

To get Silkeborg Løn up and running on the new platform

before the strict deadline of April 1st this year, Silkeborg

Data needed more manpower and technical assistance,

and they asked Mjølner for help.

The overall project was split into eight teams with Mjølner

being in charge of project management in five of them.

A total number of 17 people from Mjølner stepped in to

assist Silkeborg Data with the migration project.

Migrating Silkeborg Løn was a complex and demanding

task. We trusted Mjølner’s expertise and diverse set of

competences to help us accomplish the job within the

short time frame. Mjølner more than lived up to that trust.

- Jesper Palm Mortensen, CTO, Silkeborg Data

Management, Architecture, Development & TestingMjølner was part of the project from the start and

contributed by solving project management, architecture,

development, and test management tasks.

Testing played an especially important role as both

continuous quality control in the individual teams and on

the general level was vital for the result.

Mjølner was a true asset in our migration project. The

consultants were a boost of competence and a good

match to our teams.

- Jesper Palm Mortensen, CTO, Silkeborg Data

Due to great cooperation between the teams, determi-

nation, and a common goal, we moved part of the front-

end of Silkeborg Løn System successfully from one

platform to another. We even finished before deadline.

The move was gradual and easy on the users.

Great Results through TeamworkThe migration project was not only dependent on the

teams’ individual skills, but also their ability to work

together.

Silkeborg Data was forthcoming and cooperative. As

a result, our united teams were very effective. It was a

pleasure working as consultants for Silkeborg Data.

- Elmer Sandvad, Project Manager, Mjølner Informatics

The great teamwork between Silkeborg Data and Mjølner

was a huge part of the migration project’s success.

Silkeborg Data’s offices where our consultants were stationed.

TECH

STRONG CUSTOMER RELATIONS THROUGH GREAT USER INTERFACES

It is complicated to navigate the digital platforms that form customer interaction today. We hosted a seminar explaining how you can use them to strengthen your customer relations. Here’s a recap.

Digital solutions are largely replacing traditional customer

interaction. Still, quite a few businesses struggle to find

their way on the digital platforms that form customer

relations today. Here are some pointers from our seminar:

Why are User Interfaces Important?Martin Nielsen from Danske Bank explained why they

see their user interfaces as their most important tool for

creating and maintaining strong customer relations.

Today’s customers expect an abundance of digital

services and are quick to switch supplier, if services

do not meet their expectations.

The user interfaces of our digital services are how

we meet most customers today, making it our most

important tool for customer relation management.

Bad user interfaces equal bad customer service.

It is all about customizing user interfaces to the

different types of customers. Customers love to be

heard, and we need to listen to them!

User interfaces are effective tools for holding on to

customers.

How to Create Great User Interfaces?Our own UX Consultant, Maria Holmegaard, presented

some methods for creating user interfaces that strengthen

your customer relations:

Put the customer center stage!

The traditional face-to-face contact with customers

has qualities, which should be incorporated in the

user interfaces. This can be done by:

Including your customer in the process both before,

during, and after development.

STRONG CUSTOMER RELATIONS THROUGH GREAT USER INTERFACES

Identifying your customer. Detailed personas are a

great management tool.

Clarifying your existing customer relation. Where do

your customers meet you and how?

Ask yourself: Do we include our customers enough?

Who are our customers, and what is important to

them? Where do our customers meet us?

Do You Need Our Help?You are more than welcome to contact us for a

noncommittal talk about user interfaces, customer

relations, or digital business development in general.

Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO

brj@mjolner.dk

+45 41 95 36 26

EVENTS

MAKING TECHNOLOGY WORK FOR YOUR BUSINESSTechnology gives us endless possibilities, and they are not reserved for big projects. Technological growth is all about getting the most out of what you already have, or what you can easily build.

We put our stance to the test with two events during

Internet Week Denmark, June 1 – 5. Both events proved

to be crowd pleasers and brought along some new ideas.

Strengthening Bottom Lines with Digital Innovation Whether you make money on wind energy, eldercare,

or anything in between, your business can benefit form

technology. This workshop showed just that.

IT Consultant, Gustav Nielsen, and UX Consultant, Kasper

Svendsen, guided representatives from Scan-Thor, Max

Manus, Zispa, Mediehus-Danmark, Frontgate, and a

freelance photographer through our service blueprint

model, specifying each company’s possible gains of

technology.

All the hardworking participants found new ways to use

technology in taking their businesses further.

Learn from the Innovators!This event was a showcase of seven innovative Danish

companies that have used technology to build or

strengthen their businesses.

On stage were Sekoia, Draupner Graphics, SEGES, Mobilize

Me, Kamstrup, Kanda, and Danske Bank. Our CEO, Brian

Jeppesen and Executive Software Client Architect, Peter

Lange from IBM, kicked it all off with a few words about

tech trends and new business models.

At the end, we discussed digital innovation and what it

requires in a Danish context.

The overall conclusion was that true innovation requires

bravery – we need to believe in our ideas – and that we

must never forget our users. We need to listen to them,

understand them, and center all our work around them.

No users, no business.

Learn more about both events at mjolner.com/blog

Workshop, June 1st.

Showcase & Debate, June 3rd.

VESTAS: USER-CENTRIC & SALEABLE SOFTWARE

A TOOL FOR YOUR SERVICE TECHNICIAN

FROM ONE PLATFORM TO ANOTHER WITH SILKEBORG DATA

STRONG CUSTOMER RELATIONS THROUGH GREAT USER INTERFACES

MAKING TECHNOLOGY WORK FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Mjølner Informatics A/S Finlandsgade 10, DK-8200 Aarhus N +45 70 27 43 43 www.mjolner.dk info@mjolner.dk