For custom app developers, it’s easy to integrate with a service like Google Maps API* to:

- Show users what’s nearby (restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations)
- Provide directions to nearby attractions or services
- Mash up location data with reviews or data from other APIs.

In addition to allowing a developer to enhance his app, location based services also allow for location based advertising.  For instance, let’s say users are walking by a national retail store and they have the app for that store.  When combined with other shopping data, the app can make specific offers to entice the users to come into the store to make purchases.

A word to the wise about using new APIs in your app – just make sure the API is reliable and scalable before you tell your development team to start using it.  We integrated a free finance API from a top brand search engine and found it was unreliable, therefore making the app unreliable (a death knell for your app).  We since switched to a lesser known but paid finance API that has been great.  We also use short term caching on our cloud server to increase scalability and reliability.

Location based services (LBS) work on Android (phones and tablets) and on iPhones (iPhones have GPS).  iPod touch and iPad do not have GPS, but can use Wi-Fi and cellular (iPad) to determine location.  Also, through indoor Wi-Fi mapping, it’s possible to do indoor location based services in closed areas such as at malls and inside large venues.

* API means application programming interface.  APIs allow your app to interact with third party services such as Google Maps, Yelp Reviews and any number of thousands of APIs that private companies and government organizations make available.  New APIs are coming online every day and some mobile development strategists monitor new APIs because they allow a first-to-market advantage with their app when a new and unique API becomes available.

Here’s the problem with adoption.  The old way people watch TV is they like to pick up the remote and surf channels.  After flipping through, they find something they like and set a date with the TV or record it via DVR.  Most cable companies offer this and it’s considered old school.

The new way Apple has set up is people get on their Apple TV, look through titles of shows, watch previews and then purchase or download their TV show or podcast.  I do it a lot but I haven’t see this take off just yet.

Sometimes I watch people flip through channels, commercials and all, and I suggest they could download their content and watch it commercial free.  A lot of people don’t seem to be willing to give up the experience of flipping through channels.  People like channel surfing because that’s the way it’s been done for decades.  Maybe it’s relaxing for them to do it this way.

Here is an idea for Apple.  Take your millions of hours of TV Shows and create a set of channels that run along the lines of people’s interests.  Let users flip through (like channel surfing) and if they stay for more than 30 seconds, they need to buy it to watch more, or watch it for free but with advertising.  Doing it this way provides a transition to downloaded content for people who like to surf.  It also provides a way for users to opt into highly targeted video advertising.

Then come the TV apps.  For users that like TV based apps, they can buy the app, watch their favorite “TV show” then afterwards tweet about it, play the video game, buy the merchandise and hang out with others who feel the same way.  This would drive deeper engagement and make the users happier.  Your thoughts?

If we were to break down the design, code, and test phases (as in the graphic below), each phase would involve each of the skills (design, code, and test).  For example, in the design phase, most of the time is spent with the Product Manager designing the app, but engineers are involved because they need to help figure out how to implement the design (there are tradeoffs) and how long it will take.  Testing resources (also called Quality Assurance or QA) are involved if they have usability testing skills, as this is a good time to build a mockup of the app and see how users respond to it.  The feedback goes back to the Product Manager, so they can refine the design.  The design document is frequently called a Product Requirements Document (PRD).

In the coding phase, the engineers can start by writing a technical requirements document that outlines how they will implement the design.  If it’s a simple app, or the team is small, this document can be skipped and the Developer can spend their time coding.  The Developer usually has many detailed questions for the Product Manager that go into the finer points of the design.  QA (testing) resources start working on their test plans at this point and the test plans have many test cases.

In the final testing phase, QA tests the product by looking for software defects and usability problems.  They then log the issues as bugs that the engineers fix.  Some of those bugs necessitate design changes and the product manager is the one who oversees that everything is built and tested to specification.  Usability testing is also performed on the final product to see how well en users can use it.  If issues are found, the team can go through the design-code-test cycle again.

That’s the development process in a nutshell. Strategy and distribution are the caps on both ends of the development process and they will be discussed in a future article.

Not only is this an area of intense interest for myself, but if you’ve kept an eye out, you’ve watched the shelves of your local Apple store fill with these smart controllers.  Here are some of the things I would love to see:

A refrigerator that knows what’s in it.  Have you ever been driving home and wondering if you need to stop at the store for a certain item?  How about a “Smart Fridge” with a built in scanner that is good at finding the bar code and keeping track of items that need re-ordering (automated re-ordering is a bonus).  In a few years, perhaps all items will have an RFID tag to make this even easier.

A home security system that identifies the intruder.  With facial recognition it is possible to focus, zoom and crop a photo automatically.  To freak out would-be intruders who are casing the place, you can show them a clear, zoomed/cropped image of themselves as they case the house.  I doubt they would break in if they knew we had a good picture of them.  In a few years, I would love to see this cross-referenced with a criminal data base so they can be greeted by name.

Entertainment that follows you around the house.  I want to be able to hear my music and have it follow me on speakers as I walk through the different rooms of my house.  I know Bill Gates has it in his house, but his system probably cost millions.  The added twist is my wife is doing the same thing but listening to something different.  Of course, when our paths cross, the configurable rules turn my audio off and pause it until she is clear of the area.  An added bonus is to do this with video so I can see my video program on screens throughout the house.  An added extra bonus is to do it in Ultra HD (a new TV standard on display at CES).  A super extra bonus is to be able to walk through my house while Skyping in Ultra HD (with a would-be burglar).

We’ll see what happens in 2013.

Designing for the iPad is Different

According to Apple, “if you’re planning to develop an app that runs on iPhone and iPad, you need to adapt your design to each device” (Apple iOS Human Interface Guidelines, December 17, 2012).  In the case of the iPad, this means that you need to model the user interface to match the screen size, aspect ratio, and user conventions.  The layout that users expect differs dramatically.  For example, an email app for iPhone will have one screen for choosing emails to open, and a drill down screen for viewing the email details.  In the iPad, this is all done in one screen called a split view where the high level info (email summaries) is on the left and the detail (email text) is on the right.

“Merely scaling up an iPhone app to fill the iPad screen is not recommended. Instead, you need to make your iPad app engage the user in ways that take full advantage of its larger screen and capabilities.”  The iPad gives you more space, but you want to use that space wisely.  The controls on the interface are different and that can change the flow.  The goal is to make the iPad app more useable, and to this end, you should work to reduce the number of screens (versus iPhone), reduce steps (taps) and simplify the interface.

Users Expect Realistic Artwork on the iPad

Apple says users “expect more high-fidelity artwork in iPad apps” (Apple iOS Human Interface Guidelines, December 17, 2012) and this is especially true because of the retina display on the latest iPads.  Apps now differentiate themselves by adding artwork such as photo realistic replicas of objects which are carried from physical metaphors.  An app that doesn’t have high quality artwork sticks out like a sore thumb. These high quality graphics make a big difference in creating a positive user experience and making your app successful.

 Seeing is Believing

It’s a new way of presenting that combines two of the strongest sales tools: the personal meeting and visuals.  Many of us know that we’re much better off having a conversation with the chief influencer rather than engage a group in a one-way PowerPoint presentation.  The only downside of a conversational meeting has been that we couldn’t show our prospect visuals that cement our sales points.  Enter the iPad.  During conversation we can now say, “here, let me show you” and then show a visual graph, picture, or play a short video.  In this way, the visuals supplement the conversation and reinforce credibility.  The nice thing about the iPad is the quick startup allows your rep to whip it out to make a point (versus waiting for a PC to boot up) and it’s much easier to take an iPad to a restaurant or coffee shop versus a laptop.

Order Configuration And Booking

Strike while the iron is hot!  Many companies are finding the iPad is a great platform for hosting a real-time custom configurator, allowing reps to configure and book orders before they leave the customer site.  A common workflow is a rep builds a configuration in the field and sends it to headquarters for review.  It is then tweaked or approved and sent back in real-time.  This allows the rep to book a complex order before leaving their appointment.  For this, we suggest you use iPads with cellular data connectivity versus Wi-Fi alone.

Sales Literature

More and more sales reps are using their personal iPads for storing sales literature such as PowerPoint presentations and PDFs.  Why not equip your sales force with an app that automatically pushes new content to them (including documents, audio, and video)?  A mobile app can serve as a multimedia library of easily accessible and well organized literature.  Having a sales app will also counteract any complaints that your company has fallen behind on its use of technology.

Sales Training

Back in the old days, sales reps used to love to stay motivated and educated by playing audio tapes in their cars between appointments.  The modern equivalent of that is sales management producing a weekly audio program for sales reps that features messages from management, positioning, competition updates, industry news and interviews with subject matter experts.  If it’s well done, sales reps will use this as a go-to resource and listen religiously.  Another idea is to video tape your top sales reps as they go through their PowerPoint presentations and handle objections.  Audio and video can now easily be pushed to mobile apps in real-time so that sales professionals can listen on the go: as they’re working out, driving, or flying (the app can be configured to load content for off-line use).

The two hot tips for enterprise iPad apps are to password protect the app and use Apple’s enterprise release process rather than the iTunes store release process.  Sales reps love iPads and the sooner you can get them up and running with sales apps, the sooner you’re likely to realize new revenue.

Involve Users – You should run the app idea by a set of users and involve them in the initial planning phase and user acceptance testing.  This can be simple or elaborate.  As an example of simple user test, I gave a prototype app to my friend and I could see in the first few seconds that he didn’t know how to use it.  Seeing where he got lost, it also became clear how to fix it.  That’s an example of a simple check of a design and this should be a regular habit while developing apps.  The more involved your users are, the better.

Define Clear Requirements – I hear of horror stories of investors who try to build apps without requirements documents.  This combined with inexperience invariably results in a zombie app that is never released.  The standard document for requirements is the Product Requirements Document (PRD) and it briefly states the business case and high level requirements.  The author of this document is the product manager, who has a lot of “functional” experience with apps (the engineer doesn’t write this).  If you have never worked with your development team or you think they need a lot of direction, you should write a Functional Specification, which contains wireframes and specifies exactly what the app does (in detail).  Clear requirements will guide your developers to produce the app you’re expecting.

Focus on User Experience - For iOS devices, Apple emphasizes this throughout their iOS developer documentation.  This goes from creating exceptional graphics to really thinking about the crux of your app and what it does.  Many people make the mistake of reinventing the wheel when it comes to the user interface (UI).  Apple provides UI elements and conventions.  These are all specified in their Human Interface Guidelines.  One of the most important graphical elements is the App Icon and you are wise to focus resources here.  The App Icon is the first thing users see when they come across your app.

Test Thoroughly – Most folks outside the software industry don’t understand what it means to test an app.  Start by making a matrix of possible conditions your app is likely to encounter and how your app will handle them.  What happens when the user is using your app and they get a call or an appointment reminder?  Does the app require connectivity?  What happens when the device switches from Wi-Fi to cellular data?  What about when there is no connection?  Can they use the app while listening to music?  All of these possibilities define your use cases and test cases which make up your test plan.  The app not only has to handle these cases gracefully, but must give intelligent and informed error messages to keep the user on track.  Many of the apps today fall down quickly because the developers didn’t anticipate some of the most common conditions.  Testing should be very thorough and can take as long as development.

Although most apps fall short when it comes to quality, following these four best practices can help make your app successful.

1. Stay ahead of the game

In Nestlé’s case, they were one of the first companies with an investor relations iPhone app.  In addition to the 40,000 – 50,000 app downloads, they received a lot of recognition by being one of the first companies to utilize such media channels to reach their investors. Ok, so you can’t be the first with an IR app because that’s already been done, but you can implement new and unique functionality in your IR app. Beyond the conventional iPhone/iPad or Android apps, you could develop a different type of app, such as a TV app (most TV manufacturers have platforms), a GoogleTV app (Android) or jump on the opportunity when Apple iOS supports apps on it’s AppleTV.  Perhaps the iBook format is a great way to reach investors with your annual report.

According to Warne, you have to see where things are going, i.e., how the app is being used versus other media, such as the mobile site and the corporate website. Nestlé currently has a study underway to see what type of content works best in each medium and the types of functionality that could be offered. “Investment analysts will always do a certain amount of their work at their desk, but they’re doing more and more of their work outside the office. So we need to see what the differential is.” Perhaps users will want to “check very quickly certain things,” like a stock price or company headlines.

There is a growing trend of users who like to use their tablets while watching TV or for reading in bed. If your content is readily available, it’s more likely to be consumed. The Nestlé app is available on Apple’s iOS and on Android.

2. Understand why you are doing it

Besides serving the communications needs of their investors, Warne sees that the biggest benefit of their IR app is to Nestlé’s reputation. “I think it’s brought more reputational benefit than actual benefit amongst the professional investment audience.”

Since Nestlé is a long-standing and traditional company, they’ve not been seen as cutting edge, but having an investor relations app has done a lot to modernize their brand among their target audience. “Institutional investors, analysts that follow us, are all aware of [the app], have got it, and have all used it.”

3. Beware of Apple’s approval process

If it’s your first app and you’re on a deadline, you have to be diligent about following Apple’s iOS user guidelines and keeping everything in ready state, otherwise, you’re going to miss your date and run over budget. According to Warne, “The thing that you really have to budget for is Apple, because you have to submit everything to Apple for approval. In our case, when we submitted the iPhone app for approval, our site was down and they rejected it. We had to start the approval process over again.”

Large companies can stumble here and you can safeguard your project by learning the details of Apple’s approval process and guidelines. When your app is submitted to the iTunes store for approval, the app is checked for a number of technical and functional items. Apple even has guidelines for the artwork that’s in your app and your meta data (the text and graphics that you use to list your app in the iTunes store). The wait for approval can range from one to three weeks and if you fail, you have to resubmit.

4. Use a Content Management System 

Content Management Systems (CMS) are the systems that manage web sites and are becoming an indispensable way to push content into your app, such as pdf reports, presentations, videos, podcasts, and other corporate communications content. In Nestlé’s case, they developed the app in-house to use Microsoft’s SharePoint, and for each content item, they can publish it in various media from their single CMS with the use of simple checkboxes to denote where the content will be published.  Without a central CMS, it will be more work to keep the information fresh.

For example, because Nestlé used a CMS in their IR app development process, there is virtually no additional effort in keeping the mobile app up-to-date with new content. To update the app, all a CMS has to be able to do is publish using an API (application programming interface – this is what Nestlé uses) or RSS feed (really simple syndication) and the app can pick up the content, format it, and publish the content in real-time. This will work regardless of whether the app is coded in HTML5 or if it uses native code.

Utility Apps

Utility apps are popular and easy.  A utility can be a calculator, clock, flashlight, notepad, etc.  Are you a real estate office?  Maybe a loan calculator.  Are you a music store?  Maybe a metronome.  Are you a doctor’s office?  Maybe a BMI calculator.  What else does a doctor carry in his or her pocket?  These are all candidates.  It doesn’t matter if there are other metronomes out there, just make sure yours is good.

Why utility apps?  Because they are useful and get a lot of downloads.  You can put your brand on them.  You can have users click out to your website, you can attach promotions.  It’s kind of like making custom branded pens and giving them to your customers.  Perhaps your company makes seed for grass.  You can make an app that calculates how much seed you need per 1000 square feet.  Maybe you’re a networking company.  You can make a network load calculator that shows when an old network is saturated and needs to be upgraded.

I think the hard part about getting into apps is getting your first one out there, so a utility is simple and gets you some experience in the space.  Your next app will be much easier because of it.  What else is there?

Branding Apps

Just as your website is a place for customers and prospects to get information, so can your company create an app for the same purpose.  You might ask, why not just create a mobile website?  Well, that’s good too, but you have to be connected to view the site and mobile users aren’t likely to type in a long URL to see what’s new at your company; however, if they have an app with an icon that takes a space on their device, they are more likely to fire it up when they’re looking through apps while waiting in line at the grocery store.

Why not just make an app that links to my website?  On Android, you can, but with Apple iOS, they consider this too simplistic and it will be rejected.  Apple wants useful apps in their store, so you have to make it useful.  In your app you can have different sections like News, Products and Services, Events, Podcasts, Videos, Twitter Feed and a place to leave comments and suggestions.  You can keep it up-to-date with an open source content management system (CMS) such as Joomla.

Other features you can add are the ability to download content for disconnected viewing (such as when you’re on an airplane).  The app can be made to download all text, audio and video and stored on the device for hours of offline consumption.

These are just a few ideas for getting started.  Remember, you don’t have to come out with a killer app on your first iteration.  Releasing a simple app at first gets you “in the game” and can pave the way for more sophisticated apps down the road.