Skip to main content

​
1. Overview

​
1.1 Background of Cool App

Current state of enterprise office work
  • Enterprise applications keep growing larger. According to Gartner, nearly 80% of enterprise applications use only about 4 features on average, while the rest go untouched, wasting resources.
  • Enterprise applications keep multiplying. To meet diverse business needs, organizations are forced to adopt more applications. Employees then spend significant time searching for the entry points they actually need, which hurts productivity.
The vision of DingTalk and YiDA
  • DingTalk offers a vast set of active, foundational communication capabilities.
  • YiDA, a low-code app development platform, is easy to build with, has a low barrier to entry, and integrates deeply with DingTalk.
  • Can we combine the strengths of both to create a new application format that deeply fuses communication with business applications, shifting from the traditional “people find data, data finds people” model to an “apps find people, data finds people” model?

​
1.2 What Is Cool App?

Cool App is a new application format on DingTalk built on the principles of “immersive, scenario-based, networked collaboration, and universal access to data.” It turns complex features and processes from traditional enterprise applications into atomic, component-based interactive Cards and quick entry points. These elements are recombined around different scenarios and pushed in real time to high-frequency touchpoints such as DingTalk Group Chats, daily flows, Documents, and the workbench, delivering a seamless, immersive office experience. 🚀 Drive digital transformation for traditional enterprises 🚀 Bridge the gap between business applications and communication 🚀 Improve the office experience in collaborative scenarios 🚀 Preserve the outcomes of communication 🚀 Enhance information synchronization Cool App concept diagram

​
2. Cool App Formats in YiDA

Compared with traditional enterprises that rely on complex features, forms, workflows, and reports, YiDA Cool App breaks complex content into highly lightweight modules. Users can freely combine these modules to fit their scenarios, achieving the shortest business processing paths, optimal resource allocation, and highly efficient immersive office work.

​
2.1 Cool App Modules in YiDA

Apps built with YiDA become Cool Apps by default through Cool Plugins:
  • YiDA Cool App = Cool Chats + Cool Pin + Cool Activity Card + Cool Data Kanban + Cool Bot Interaction
  • If your app includes three of the capabilities above, it is automatically upgraded to a Cool App.

​
2.1.1 Cool Chats

  • Form message notifications: When a Form is submitted, edited, deleted, or commented on, the message notifications configured on the Form page send Card-style alerts to specific users or Group Chats.
  • Workflow approval notifications: When a workflow is submitted, enable message notifications to the approver to trigger an approval alert. Click the Button at the bottom of the Card to complete the Approval immersively, without navigating to another Page.
Form message notification Card Quick workflow approval Card

​
2.1.2 Cool Pin

Submit a Form to place key information as a pinned Card in a designated Group Chat. This fits common Group Chat scenarios such as broadcasting project metric Progress or posting announcements. Click a Button on the pinned Card to quickly handle the related business.

​
2.1.3 Cool Activity Card

Use Card nodes (Send Card / Update Card) in Integration & Automation to have the system automatically send interactive Cards. Click a Button on the Card to trigger different logic based on the preconfigured actions, enabling a variety of quick business operations. This fits common collaboration scenarios such as ticket alerts and project risk control.

​
2.1.4 Cool Kanban

Present real-time Form Data as a Data Kanban Card, displaying Data as needed for easier insight and analysis. Scheduled delivery is supported to keep Data timely.

​
2.1.5 Cool Bot

Coming soon.