Design customer and field sales apps around their tasks

I would design an app’s working flows around tasks and permissions. A business customer orders for their own company; a sales representative works with several assigned customers. Shopify documents company assignment and reordering in B2B customer accounts. Microsoft’s mobile sales application provides entry through recent records and meetings.

A stationery wholesaler comparison

A fictional wholesaler plans mobile access for purchasing and field sales. The following comparison describes the intended tasks:

The shared product list may look similar. In field sales, repeatedly selecting a different customer becomes part of the workflow.

The draft keeps its customer link

In this example, switching to another customer should leave an existing draft clearly assigned to its original account. The interface must show that link when opening and saving. Merely changing the start view must not silently transfer the draft to another company. The team also defines which advisory notes stay internal and which information customers may see.

Permissions must be checked server-side; hidden fields are insufficient. The planned role view should therefore be reviewed alongside the permitted data access.

Reuse shared components with purpose

Product search, item cards and price checks can use a shared technical foundation. If field sales only occasionally prepares an order draft for assigned customers, a shared app with clearly separated work areas may also fit. Separate apps are not required by the role difference alone.

In the prototype, check reordering for the customer’s own business and drafting for an assigned customer. In particular, observe whether the right company assignment stays understandable when switching customers and saving.

Sources

• Shopify — B2B customer accounts

• Microsoft — Manage records in the Sales mobile app

• OWASP — Authorization