Building Mobile Applications

Transcription

1 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO Building Mobile Applications Understanding Strategy, Design and Effective Execution

2 Table of Contents Main Benefits of Mobile Apps Finding your Development Team Choosing the Right Type of Mobile Application Plan, Prototype, Design, Build, Launch Have a Marketing Strategy Summary About Us page 1 page 2-3 page 4-5 page 6-7 page 8 page 9 page 10 Copyright 2015 Barefoot Solutions. All Rights Reserved

3 INTRODUCTION 1 Main Benefits of Mobile Apps Mobile apps encourage brand recognition, build loyalty, and increase sell-through From startups to enterprise companies and everything in between, companies are finding that having a mobile application can drastically improve many critical aspects of sales, customer satisfaction and efficiency. Companies are quickly leveraging the rapidly rising popularity of mobile apps and utilizing this technology to improve areas such as: Internal processes How clients access your product Customer engagement Brand awareness Mobile users spend the large majority of their time in apps instead of the mobile web. In 2013, 80% of mobile usage time was spent in apps, and in 2014 that percentage rose to 86%. This demonstrates the simple fact that if companies do not offer native applications for their customers, partners, vendors, and employees, they are leaving money on the table. The question isn t why should I invest in mobile but how should I invest in mobile? Google VP Performance Media Jason Spero via Google Mobile Playbook As a business owner, C-level executive or manager of any kind, you are aware of the significance of being accessible. Meeting clients where they are - on their phone - is often the fastest and most efficient way to turn a profit and ensure your business continues to grow. Not only that, but your employees and colleagues become more efficient when they are provided with tools that allow them to track their progress, communicate with each other and collaborate on projects. The top companies of the world use mobile technology to their advantage - and so should you. 01

4 CHALLENGES 2 Finding Your Development Team Develop a mobile strategy and find the people who can make it happen Most startups don t have, or don t have the budget for, an in-house developer or development team. Enterprise companies don t normally have in-house developers because it is a group of people with a highly specialized skillset and even higher salary requirements. There are usually 4 tiers of development expertise out there. Finding the right fit for your company can be an especially difficult decision. We ll try to make it easier. The Agency There are multiple capable digital agencies with talented creative people in every major city. With expertise in design, branding, development and advertising, it s definitely not a bad choice for a high quality product. However, you re typically paying a premium (sometimes more than 100%) for the design and branding while the agency will often need to subcontract the heavy technical and development lifting to another specialized shop. While you ll get the royal treatment, you re usually paying for it. The Dev Shop Full disclosure, we re in this category. The development shop is an established, specialized mobile development shop with a dedicated team. While you re not going to have conference room drinks or red carpet treatment, you ll have a specialized team of account managers, project managers, designers and developers. Typically, development shops have very specialized and refined processes for planning, designing, building and launching apps that are more efficient and practiced than the larger agencies. This is why agencies often subcontract projects to the more specialized development teams. While a shop may not be the strongest in the branding, design or marketing of your app, you ll get higher quality development at a significantly lower price. 02

5 CHALLENGES 2 Finding Your Development Team (cont.) The Contractor/Freelancer The benefits of hiring a contractor to work in-house or a freelancer are many - but so are the risks. The ability to work closely with a developer and have more control over the process is an attractive option for many. Additionally, if you get the right person with a great skill set and affordable rates, it can be quite cost effective. However there is the risk of hiring someone who may not be specialized enough. Apps typically need more skillsets than just one person can offer, which can include needed specialization in ios, Android, Web API, UI/UX Design, and Graphic Design. They will typically be excellent at only one of those. There s also the issue that often times individual developers lack the efficient processes for building apps, which can cost time and money, removing the original cost savings. Even worse is the danger of that person deciding to move on to another employer or project, which is not uncommon. Picking up on someone s incomplete project is a difficult task for even the most skilled freelancers. The Overseas Option For the budget-conscious, there are many options for app development overseas. While there are some great development teams working around the world, there are also many hidden costs and risks associated with outsourcing. Time differences and language barriers add significant time to any project, as well as cultural differences that can degrade your design, content and the user experience (UX) of the app. On top of this is you have to be very skilled at communicating the desired UI/UX, as you typically just get back whatever it is that you asked for. If you re willing to put in the time, management and risk to develop your app overseas, you can definitely save money with this option. 03

6 CHALLENGES 3 Choosing the Right Type of Mobile App Applications are a must-have for business As technology advances, so will the different platforms and choices for developing a mobile app. It s important to understand the differences so you can ask yourself the right questions. What operating systems do I want the app to run on - ios? Android? Both? Deciding on the operating system is a big initial decision. While there are options, using budget, market share or your preferred enterprise platform will help the planning.the next logical next question for most people in this stage of planning is determining what type of technology you ll need. The choices are: Native applications are coded in the particular language of each platform. This allows for a higher quality user experience and better functionality. The more demanding and complex the app, the more need for it to be native. Cross-platform (or hybrid) apps are great for simple applications. Basically, you re coding the app once and wrapping it using another application to translate it to the other platforms. While this strategy is less expensive, it severely restricts the overall functionality and degrades the user experience of the app. Performance Security Automation 04

7 CHALLENGES 3 Choosing The Right Type of Mobile App (cont.) Mobile web apps are not an app running on a phone alone, but will always run on a phone s browser. With advances in Javascript and HTML5, Mobile Web apps are getting sophisticated pretty quickly. However, they are very limited as they can t use most of the phone s power and functionality. For someone who just wants their website to be easily readable on mobile devices, this is a good option. Another question you will need to ask is if the app will be standalone or if it should communicate with other websites or apps? A standalone app can run on a phone without communicating with other apps or a central server. If you want to be able to have user registration or communicate with other apps and integrate with other websites, you ll typically need a database, web service, and admin panel to help maintain the information. Whichever option you choose, you ll need to make a decision to enable your app to communicate with other websites. 86% OF MOBILE DEVICE TIME IS SPENT IN APPS Flurry 2 05

8 SOLUTIONS 4 Plan, Prototype, Design, Build, Launch Mobile apps improve user engagement If you remember one thing from this whitepaper, remember this: Do very few things, very, very well. Ask yourself, what is the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), or essential functionality of the application? Build a list of must have and nice to have items. It s always more cost effective to add more functionality later than to take away a feature when you realize your user base doesn t want or need it. Keep it simple, listen to your users and evolve the app. >> Plan The first step in planning is to put together a requirements document. This is an essential step to make decisions on platforms, integrations, functionality and workflow. It s also important to convey a detailed user story to help everyone understand the overall vision of the app. >> Prototype Building a prototype, a functional wireframe or blueprint of the mobile app, is another critical step. This is where the UX expert shines. Planning out the most intuitive workflow, layout and screen elements is a very involved process and can make or break the success of a mobile app. >> Design Taking the approved strategy from the prototype, we move to graphic design. Design can make or break an app, and it s especially important to keep the UX from the prototype phase intact. This can be challenging to do while incorporating the workflow and branding with screen designs, logos, and icons. An added complication is having the app remain current with design standards set by Apple or Google. They set these standards to look consistent with the overall design of the operating system and other apps. An example is material design, a new design standard Android came out with for the new "Lollipop" update. Just remember that if you don't stay current with your app, you'll look outdated pretty quickly. START PLAN >> >> >> >> PROTOTYPE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT LAUNCH 06

9 SOLUTIONS 4 Plan, Prototype, Design, Build, Launch (cont.) >> Development This is where the actual framework and coding is put into motion. There are several steps here including database design and logic, app programming, coding integrations, testing, QA (Quality Assurance), debugging and more. This is where the development team passes or fails in the creation of an application. >> Launch Launching an application involves several steps. These steps include app store setup, marketing, optimization as well as further testing along the way. Having a strong launch plan and marketing plan is critical for the success of the app. TIP Listen to your users. Ask for their feedback in your app and make sure you have a strategy to ask for their review ratings - make sure you get reviews. The average American spends over 2 ½ hours a day on their mobile phone. Put your brand in their hands daily via mobile app. - Flurry 70% of consumers trust reviews online 07

10 BENEFITS 5 Have A Marketing Strategy How can businesses benefit from a solid mobile strategy Your next hurdle will be getting users. This is the marketing piece that will ensure your app s success. Regardless of which developer you go with or how beautiful the application is, it s dead in the water without any users. You ll need to get in the game quickly to help your rankings and develop a user base. There are many strategies to consider including an effective launch page, app store optimization, search engine marketing, pay-per-install, social media and more. Building a connection with your users, may they be internal employees or clients, is critical for the success of your launch. Providing an easy way for your users to interface with your The ROI is Real There s no need to take our word for it, plenty of companies have seen the benefits of investing in applications and earning a solid return. What Barefoot offers: Upfront consulting on platform & scope with unique prototyping software, built in UX and technically sophisticated application development. Barefoot brings the high level of expertise companies that don t specialize in apps are missing. Recent Wins Antengo - raised $1M+ in venture capital and now has 500,000+ users Best Stocks Now - top 5 grossing Finance apps in itunes A winning app requires a strategic end-to-end development plan. 08

11 SUMMARY 6 Invest In The Future Achieving your best ROI The need for a mobile strategy and application is more important than ever. Your clients, prospects and employees can connect with you via this dynamic medium, and it s critical to your business to get started. The danger companies that don t develop the mobile strategies and applications face are many, including falling behind the competition, losing customers, and remaining unable to meet the needs of today s dynamic mobile application space. The mobile app sector continues to offer unprecedented opportunities for economic growth in the US. Given the communication services apps can provide, they have now become an essential part of how not only businesses, but how economies work and function. From the most technologically advanced companies with systems and processes surrounding software innovation, to somewhat novice companies like service companies providing technicians with tablets, applications are more accessible and necessary than ever. We hope this guide provided you with more understanding about applications and why they are so critical in today s marketplace. They truly help you take your business to the next level, and demonstrate to users the professionalism you intend to portray with the tools your audience demands. TOTAL APP STORE SALES IN 2013 WERE $26 BILLION Gartner 3 It s tough to know where to start. That s why we are happy to offer you a FREE mobile strategy consultation, to assess where you re at, what your needs are, and how we can help. Even if we aren t the best fit, we can point you in the right direction so you can get started. Let us help you tap into the power of technology today! Copyright 2015, Barefoot Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved 09

12 SUMMARY 7 About Us Working to Simplify Web and Mobile Apps As a pioneer in mobile application development, Barefoot Solutions has gained a reputation in the web and mobile development industry for quality, efficiency, and UX expertise. This is largely due to our comprehensive breadth of experience, having developed one of the strongest mobile portfolios in Southern California and working with some of the most creative minds across the country. With our seasoned team of in-house user experience experts, graphic designers, developers and marketing experts, Barefoot Solutions has established impeccable software development processes and standards, along with a full suite of services, encompassing every step of product development. We use the latest prototyping software development methods along with state-of-the-art project management, design, development and communication tools. Barefoot Solutions consistently delivers quality web and mobile applications on-time and on-budget. For Additional Information Visit barefootsolutions.com Send [email protected] Call ( 619) SOURCES 1 2 Business Insider - Mobile Web vis App Usage Statsitics 2014 businessinsider.com Flurry - Key Trends for the Mobile Industry to Be Examined at Gartner Symposium. flurry.com 3 4 Gartner - Five Year Report: It s an App World - the Web Just Lives in It. gartner.com Social Times - 20 Marketing Trends and Predictions to Consider in socialtimes.com 5 Flurry - Americans spend 162 minutes on their mobile device per day, mostly with apps. flurry.com