Making Mobile a Reality KIEFER CONSULTING CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY
Introductions Scott Paterson California Department of Technology, Enterprise Solutions Harkeerat Toor Kiefer Consulting, Consultant and Mobile Developer Carter Medlin California Department of Technology, Enterprise Solutions
Key Takeaways What does it take to go mobile? What are the current options for building apps? How do I effectively distribute my apps?
Defining your Mobile Presence WHAT IT TAKES TO GO MOBILE
What is the lifecycle of a Mobile App? Why go Mobile? Responsive/adaptive design Know your audience (public) New technology opportunities Citizens as Sensors Build Specialized staff for each platform Developer licenses Testing solutions Data and application servers Keeping data updated Retaining mobile developers User support and feedback Utilizing analytics Evaluate Maintain
What are the components of a Mobile Program? For a sustainable Mobile Program
Did you know? Americans spend on average 2 hours and 42 minutes per day on mobile devices http://www.flurry.com/bid/109749/apps-solidify-leadership-six-years-into-the-mobile-revolution#.vnut1fpf8lk
Evaluating the Technologies OPTIONS FOR BUILDING MOBILE APPS
What is a Mobile Web app? PROS Leverage existing web developer staff using technologies they are comfortable with Cross platform; apps will run on any mobile device. Also works on desktop All users run the same app; no different versions to support CONS Limitations of features; no accelerometer, no microphone Uses more network data No installation onto the device like conventional apps
What is the difference between Responsive and Adaptive web design? RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN CSS rules allow for a different look depending on the client Pros The user experience is improved on different devices (Mobile, tablet, PC) Cons Larger data usage. Content applicable to all devices must be downloaded Increased development complexity ADAPTIVE WEB DESIGN Application pages are specialized for each device Pros Optimal user experience Optimal data usage Cons Heaviest development complexity
What is the California Mobile Template? Source code for creating a simple mobile web application using Microsoft.Net (C# or VB) or PHP Supports detecting the user s location Supports location based queries using Google Fusion Tables A good starting point for state agencies unfamiliar with mobile web
HTML5 UI Can access most native features Write applications HTML5, CSS, and Javascript What are Cordova and PhoneGap? Hybrid cross-platform apps Developer preference for IDE Still need Mac OSX with Xcode for ios Apps Single code base Could need custom plugins for some features Can deploy to App Stores Performance and UX not as good as native
Native UI, API Access, and performance What is Xamarin? ios, Android, and Windows Phone apps Average of 75% code sharing across platforms 100% if UI is built using Xamarin Forms Write applications using C# Coding can be done in Visual Studio Still need Mac OSX with Xcode for ios Apps Xamarin Test Cloud App footprint is larger Smaller ecosystem Still need to know native languages Licensing costs ($999/platform/developer/year)
Developed specifically for each individual platform Usually downloaded via app stores Has direct access to all device features Typically offers best User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) What are Native apps? ios and Android have 95% of the U.S. market share http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/global/smartphone-os-marketshare/ Have best options for performance and security Very little code reuse across platforms Requires varying developer skillsets and hardware Market Share: Android: 58.1% ios: 36.5% Windows: 4.3%
Should I be targeting Windows apps? Microsoft is going Mobile First, Cloud First Windows Core is universal One OS for desktop, phone, tablet, HoloLens, Xbox, Raspberry Pi, etc. Windows 10 is the last major launch Perpetual updates Free upgrade for Windows 7 users and up Windows phone can run Android and ios* apps
How can I stay up to date with Mobile? Android: Google i/o: May 28-29 ios: Worldwide Developer s Conference (WWDC): June 8-12 Windows: Microsoft Build: April 29-May 1 Microsoft Ignite: May 4-8
Did you know? There are more mobile devices than there are human beings in the world today (~7.5 billion) https://gsmaintelligence.com/
Delivering your Applications HOW TO EFFECTIVELY DISTRIBUTE APPS
Should I be including analytics in my apps? BEST PRACTICES Crash analytics Real-time reporting User Flow Goal Tracking User Acquisition Demographics Events/Engagement ANALYTICS TOOLS Crashlytics (Twitter) Flurry (Yahoo) Google Analytics Omniture (Adobe) Appsee User Timings
How can I help people find my apps in the App Stores? APP STORE OPTIMIZATION App Name Key Word Optimization (KWO) Asset Optimization (AO) Downloads Screenshots Localization App Store Ratings ASO TOOLS Mobile Dev HQ Mobile Action AppTweak Sensor Tower SearchMan Appnique
Key Takeaways What does it take to go mobile? Lifecycle of a mobile app Key components of a Mobile Program What are the current options for building apps? Mobile Web, CA Mobile Template, Hybrid apps, Native apps, Cross-platform development How do I effectively distribute my apps? Using analytics, ASO, and the Mobile Gallery
Contact Information California Department of Technology Scott Paterson, (Scott.Paterson@state.ca.gov) (916) 431-5465 Carter Medlin, (Carter.Medlin@state.ca.gov) (916) 431-3599 Kiefer Consulting, Inc. Harkeerat Toor, (htoor@kieferconsulting.com) (916) 833-7543 Office: (916) 932-7220 or info@kieferconsulting.com