Application Development Best Practices

Transcription

1 Application Development Best Practices THE ENTERPRISE MOBILUTION ERA An InfoStretch White Paper August 2014 Elevating confidence 3200 Patrick Henry Drive, Suite 250 Santa Clara, CA InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved

2 TO SUMMARIZE Business applications have revolutionized the manner in which business is conducted. It has created efficiencies, opened doors for collaboration and growth. The easy usage of a mobile device has rendered primary computer usage a thing of the past. Information is now required to be readily available on a variety of devices. These powerful mobile applications must be created with the end user in mind. An application created for an enterprise can vary from B2B, Business to Business, or B2E, Business to Employee, or B2C, which is Business to Consumer. Application development must be defined with the right tools, framework and technology. This ebook provides a detailed view of how mobile application development is different from traditional web application development and how to create a strategy to optimize your needs. This paper will take you through the best practices of mobile application development; the platforms that one needs to specify, end user targeting and the importance of a fresh User Experience InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 2

3 Mobilution is Here 2014 InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 3

4 Gartner states that 102 billion apps have been downloaded globally in As of 2013, the Google Play Store has over a million apps to offer, and the App Store has over 900,000. This number continues to grow with each passing month, as mobility becomes an integral part of our daily lives. IDC has coined this revolution, the Mobilution. Enterprises across verticals are racing to build their first app to enable a new customer experience, increase employee productivity and stay ahead of the enterprise mobility curve. Enterprise mobility is ranking very high for IT investments as a priority. Mobilution is enabling mobile access for all the traditional functions within an enterprise. Access to information on the go has become an expected and standard part of life. There is a defined shift away from desktop computers to mobile devices, such as personal cell phones and tablets. Applications must now cater to individual target audiences within the realm of mobile. The needs of an enterprise can vary from B2E, B2B and/or B2C. Each of these applications must solve the specific needs of its target audience. There now exists a unique ecosystem for mobile applications. The challenges and requirements for mobile application development are vast. They can range from determining display form factors and a sleek user experience to having a deep security emphasis. Have you found yourself facing these issues? We have homegrown technologies suited to cater to your needs. Challenges in Developing Applications in this Era The enterprise Mobilution comes with its own set of challenges. Building mobile applications for smartphones and tablets is a fundamentally different endeavor. As the space is vibrant with a plethora of new phones and tablets, mobile application software development will continue to be a shifting playing field. Let s Dive In: 1 WHAT DEVICES TO TARGET 2 HOW TO CREATE SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE APPLICATIONS 3 HOW TO SECURE ALL THE DATA BEING TRANSFERRED 4 HOW TO CREATE A SUITABLE USER EXPERIENCE 5 CONSIDER BACKEND INTEGRATION AND OFFLINE CAPABILITIES ON MOBILE 6 CONSIDER NETWORK ISSUES, DATA SYNCS, AND DEVICE MANAGEMENT ISSUES 2014 InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 4

5 Your Mobile Application Development Checklist PLATFORM COMPATIBILITY USER EXPERIENCE SECURITY NETWORK AND STORAGE The application has to be designed to support multiple OS s and many versions. It should be able to run and render seamlessly on ios, Android, Blackberry, Windows and the corresponding devices that support these platforms. Mobile devices are smaller in size, making the navigation scheme within the application very challenging. With the wide variety of devices, the app needs to be designed and customized to the specifications of each one s resolutions and orientation. Each operating system has custom architecture. Different mobile platforms provide varied degrees of support to secure data stored on the device. However, mobile application developers need to account for security of data irrespective of the platform and the device. Devices may have limited storage or working memories, unpredictable network connectivity, limited coverage, varied network bandwidth, limited storage and working memories. A mobile developer must keep these issues in mind, when designing an application InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 5

6 InfoStretch Best Practices Mobile application development has become pervasive in the marketplace and best practices have to be applied to design, development, delivery and deployment of mobile applications for best results. Whether you would like a B2B, B2E or B2C application, the following best practices have been established that can be applied to all mobile development projects by designers and developers InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 6

7 1 METHODOLOGY FOR DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Design of the application is key to creating a rich user experience. Some of the key design elements to keep in mind are having a consistent UI design, establishing compatibility with other applications, using highly structured workflows and simple navigation structures. The overall architecture of the solution must be constructed to create a usable and efficient application. We recommend that an iterative process involving all elements of mobile development development, design and testing, be established. This becomes especially critical in cross platform applications when multiple changes need to be made depending on different OS s in parallel. The design needs to be simple, intuitive with minimum options on the screen. The SDKs can be different, however, developers should verify that they are able to use widely used testing tools, reporting and project management tools across all platforms. 2 APPLICATION USABILITY TESTING The mobile application requires a detailed look at how these applications render on mobile devices. There are various issues when creating and testing applications for mobile browser compatibilities, screen real estate, orientations, fonts, form factors, forms, notifications, and geo-locations. 1. Ensure an end-to-end service when running usability testing in a controlled environment by assigning a very talented UX team. 2. Develop a set of attributes that need to be tested continuously. 3. Finalize the prototype, set up the testing rig, moderate and observe the test. 4. Analyze the design, and continuously improve it. 3 APPLICATION ANALYTICS Mobile applications do not always run in a connected environment and it becomes increasingly important to incorporate analytics features to track user interaction. Identifying the key performance indicators, finding the right tools to assess and correct based on consumer interaction become significant. For example, are people finding and using your application? How engaged are they? How do you retain customers? As the mobile adoption rates increase, and as it becomes a preferred way to access information, it will also become a very critical marketing channel. A few things to keep in mind when thinking about analytics: INFLUENCING ADOPTION Keep track of total downloads, total number of app users, the active user rate ratio of the number of app users to the total downloads, and new users the number of users that first used the app during a period of time. ENGAGING USERS The frequency of visits, which is the ratio of the number of visits to the number of users over a period of time, depth of visit which is number of screens viewed on average compared to the number of visits, duration which is the amount of time spent on the application and bounce rate which is ratio of the number of user visits with a single view event to the total number of visits. ENGAGEMENT IN HIGH VALUE ACTIVITIES TO BECOME CUSTOMERS Measure what the customer is doing with the app. Capture the user characteristics of the audience you re trying to reach and the user activities provided to generate revenue and brand engagement for your business. RETAIN CUSTOMERS AND ENCOURAGE USERS Increase stickiness by staying relevant and up to date. Capitalize on other channels; don t rely on customers finding you by chance. Get direct insight from customers on what they re thinking about your app and its features InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 7

8 4 SECURITY The rapidly growing adoption and use of smartphones and tablets within the enterprise has overwhelmed IT and security managers, as they struggle to support these consumer technologies and mitigate risk. Mobile devices need additional support when it comes to security by using the platform s inherent security capabilities and using other tools such as encryption. Here are some of the best practices that we have defined. 5 IT HAS THE POWER Let IT control what data users can access with their mobile devices, including back-office systems, formalized user groups and blocked access to devices that don t have a management client installed. 6 POLICY ON STOLEN DEVICES Administrators should be allowed to remove all the data from any stolen or last device remotely. Device inventory should be maintained to make sure that no unauthorized device is able to connect to the network. 7 ENCRYPTION, AUTHENTICATION, AND MALWARE Add on-device password and over-the-air data encryption to enforce authentication that needs to be done so that data exchange is fully protected; Users should be able to make sure that their devices are in compliance and limit the introduction of malware through spam and unauthorized apps. An automatically updating antivirus, firewall protection, and security patches need to be provided to all mobile users in the enterprise InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 8

9 In Conclusion The Mobilution is happening and it is now. Organizations should look at application development from a strategic perspective and take holistic view on the various aspects of application development. The target audience and end goal of the application must be considered early on to ensure a successful delivery. InfoStretch Corporation has made it easy for easy enterprises to stay ahead of the curve by executing their approach InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved 9

10 ABOUT INFOSTRETCH InfoStretch is a leading provider of mobile and enterprise QA services and solutions. Our offerings range from enterprise QA, mobile application development, testing, and automation to certification and sustenance. We ve been providing expert solutions and services to various large and strategic players in the mobile ecosystem including enterprises, carriers, app stores, VAS, and ISV s to actualize their mobile and QA strategy very successfully. We offer the most cost effective, secure, and scalable models to service our clients across various verticals such as banking, healthcare, education, and entertainment to name a few. Our innovations have allowed us to provide an SLA of 24 hours and the ability to scale and test over 2,000 apps a day. CONTACT US SANTA CLARA OFFICE InfoStretch Corporation 3200 Patrick Henry Drive Suite 250 Santa Clara, CA GENERAL INQUIRIES e: info@infostretch.com p: (408) f: (408) All registration marks are the property of their respective owners InfoStretch Corporation. All rights reserved