Why the Mobile Application Boom of Today Feels Oddly Familiar...
The 90's were a wild time, or so i hear... To be honest I don't remember all that much from the 90's since I was born in '89. But what I do remember pretty vividly is when we finally upgraded our home computer to a big, beautiful Gateway desktop computer that came in a cow-print box (roughly the same size and weight as a cow). Around that time we also hooked up to our blazing fast dial-up internet. I remember being one a of the very few kids in my elementary school that had internet. Another thing I remember very specifically is riding in the backseat of our Ford minivan (Aerostar anyone?) and seeing a billboard that had something I had never seen on the bottom of a billboard before - a website URL.
I had seen a URL before, I knew what a website was but I remember thinking to myself, "Is everyone getting a website now?" Looking back now it seems funny to me, because yes, everyone did get a website, and they were doing it as quickly as they could. It was the dawn of the internet - the website boom.
Back in it's infancy the Web was a daunting place for a business to go. But companies needed an online presence to keep up with their consumers. So they did it, they built a website as fast as they could to stay ahead of the curve. Many jumped in a little too fast, and that caused some major problems.
Business owners wasted a lot of money on websites that A) didn't look good or B) didn't have any useful functionality other than the fact that it was indeed just a website or C) both.
Beyond that, often times people paid a fair chunk of change to get their web presence built only to be completely ripped off and have to go out and find a new, "as-cheap-as-possible-but-maybe-a-little-more-than-the-last-guy-that-didn't-do-anything" web developer to build them another ugly, broken website.
It's funny how history has a way of repeating itself. Even over the course of less than 10 years. Not too long ago this new thing called an iPhone came out, along with some funny looking buddies called Androids. At first everyone just looked on thinking, "hmm, that's neat, touch screens are COOL!" No one could have seen what was coming. A whole new ecosystem emerged. Now, if I want to see movie times, I don't go to a website, (or even call a number like some of us remember doing). I pull out my iPhone, find the closest theater to my precise location, watch trailers for the new-release movies, find out when the one I liked best is playing, buy tickets and get directions to the theater all while drivingā¦uhā¦riding in a car.
The game has changed. And businesses are realizing it - they're certainly not blind to it. But just like in the 90's, this new world can be super confusing to someone with limited experience with it. And along with this confusion, the same mistakes are being made by businesses jumping the gun.
I have multiple friends from different companies that have paid for apps for their work and never received them. Companies are making apps that immediately get deleted from users phones because they are ugly, confusing, not useful or all of the above. So how do we reverse this trend? How do we avoid the blast from the past? Here are a few guidelines I suggest:
The quickest way to get ripped off is to not know what you want. Have a plan of goals you wish to accomplish with your app, make a list of features you want, sorted by the Must-Have's and the Nice-To-Have's so that when the (despised-but-necessary) budget conversation comes up, you'll know what makes your app worth while and what can wait for a later version.
Understand The Difference Between a Mobile Web Site and a Mobile App:
A lot of companies are looking more towards creating a mobile website rather than an app, probably because their current web provider tells them it's all the same thing. But here's the deal, they are NOT the same thing, there are vast differences between the two, each having their own sets ofĀ pros and cons. I suggest having both since they function incredibly well together. If that's not something you can afford, go through your game-plan; see the features you absolutely need and 9 times out of 10, an app is usually a better fit. Why? For the sheer functionality of a native app, and access to things people now feel should be standard to an application (like quick directions or twitter functions). There are those times however, where a company would benefit more from a mobile web-site, but again, it's a case by case thing.
Find an EXPERIENCED Developer.
In the world of application development, there is so much mystery and 'magic' to apps that it's often hard to point out the phony's. Here are a few tips: ask them what apps in the app store you can download RIGHT NOW since you want someone with legitimate app experience, especially when it comes to iOS. All the rules Apple has on what can and can't be in apps makes having an experienced developer that knows the rules and how to play the game an invaluable team member. Go with a company or firm, rather than a guy.
This may seem pretty obvious, but more often than not people will go freelance with a developer that they randomly found on the web because they're generally cheaper. Hiring a company tends to add legitimacy to the people behind your application. It'll probably be pricier, but would you rather pay for something that works now, or pay out the wazoo later for something that was half-baked? I suggest going with a company that has mobile application development as one of, if not their primary focuses, rather than a web design company that wants to be able to offer a little more to clients. You can start your search for an app designer/developer here.
I could ramble for days on what to look for and how to get your business in the app world, but I feel like this is a good starting point. I look forward to the future world of mobile applications, and one day being able to use your business' app on my phone, so please, don't make me download a "90's website" application.
Instead, blow my socks off with a beautiful, well thought out fresh-breath-of-an-app that keeps bringing me back for more.
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