xCap was created through an iterative, user-centered design process that included the end users - actual sales representatives from Palm - in the scoping, planning and production phases of the software development. The portion of the interface that changed the most was the planning spreadsheet, which became the bread and butter of the application.
This spreadsheet allows the sales representative to view historical trends in inventory distribution, and to request certain amounts of supply be allocated to specific customers for specific SKUs. The sales rep can then plan on how long the inventory will last on the shelf, and calculate backwords to understand a drop-dead shipment date for products.
