No-code mobile app builder

No reference point, changing specs, four complex systems

Most design projects have something to push against — an existing product, a stable scope, or at minimum a clear set of requirements. Cabin 7 had none of these for most of the engagement.

The product combined four distinct systems — a form builder, a workflow engine, an API manager, and a data transformation layer — each with its own design complexity. Requirements arrived as dense technical documents and changed throughout. The risk wasn’t making it look bad; it was building something that worked beautifully for simple tasks but collapsed when a user hit a complex workflow with branching logic and multiple connected data sources.

The approach: establish strong structural decisions early — information hierarchy, navigation patterns, terminology — and hold them even as specs changed around them. This gave the development team a stable foundation while leaving flexibility on the details.

The systems designed

Form builder

Allows warehouse administrators to create custom data-entry forms — the screens workers use on a mobile device to record information. Forms support field types, conditional logic (show this field only if that field equals a certain value), required field rules, and validation.

The design challenge: non-technical users need to build complex forms. A drag-and-drop field configuration experience was designed, with an inline mobile preview and clear affordances for setting conditional rules without requiring users to understand the underlying logic syntax.

Workflow builder — the most complex design problem

Workflows define what happens after a form is submitted — routing data, triggering actions in other systems, branching based on conditions. This was the system that required the most rounds of iteration.

Branching logic needs to be readable at a glance — users need to understand what their workflow does without tracing through it step by step. Canvas-based approaches (nodes and connections) and linear list approaches were explored before settling on a hybrid: a linear primary path with clearly differentiated branching arms, colour-coded by condition type.

API library and connection manager

Cabin 7 connects to external systems — ERP platforms, databases, third-party APIs — to pull reference data and push results. The API library is where administrators configure these connections: authentication credentials, endpoint URLs, request parameters, and response mappings.

This is inherently technical content being managed by users who may not be developers. The API library was designed to present connection information clearly without requiring users to understand HTTP methods and JSON structures — while still giving technically literate users the detail they need to configure integrations correctly.

Data transformation — the three-column decision

When data moves between systems, it often needs to be transformed: field names mapped, values converted, structures reorganised. The data transformation interface was the most technically abstract screen in the product.

Key design decision: a three-column layout — Input (data coming in), Transformation (the mapping rules), Output (what the data looks like after transformation). This visual structure makes the relationships between source and destination data immediately readable without requiring users to understand what’s happening underneath.

Traces — execution log and debugging

Every time a workflow runs, the execution is logged as a trace. Traces is the debugging tool for when something isn’t working — administrators can see what triggered the workflow, what steps executed, what data was passed between steps, how long each step took, and where errors occurred. Clear timestamps, collapsible step details, and highlighted error states were the core design requirements.

Action builder and app deployment

The action builder handles complex multi-step actions including chained operations — where the output of one step feeds directly into the next. Once forms and workflows are configured, the app builder lets administrators preview how the final mobile app will look and behave before deploying it to the warehouse floor, including version management for rolling back if a new configuration causes problems.

Brand identity built simultaneously

Cabin 7 had no brand at the start of the engagement. The visual identity — logo, colour system, typography, and brand guidelines — was built alongside the product design, giving the development team a complete foundation from day one.