Businesses having an app developed make mistakes
In our increasingly mobile culture, staying connected to customers means being available and easy to use from anywhere and on any device. Businesses are rushing to create apps, but in the process everything from user experience to privacy can get lost in the shuffle.
Ed LaFoy, mobile developer at Table XI, has outlined the top 5 mistakes businesses make when developing their app:
1. Recreating the web experience
If you’re developing an app that recreates your website, you’re probably wasting your money. It’s important to sit down and determine what’s going to provide value to the user-on-the-go, and use responsive design to make your website accessible on multiple devices. Take advantage of mobile-only functionality like barcode scanning and location-based recommendations to enhance the user experience.
2. Ignoring the rules
Apple has lots of rules and it’s easy to find yourself on the wrong side of them (since they are often inconsistent and not clearly defined). Read the Apple Guidelines to ensure your app is viable before you invest time and money developing it. This is particularly relevant for nonprofits interested in collecting donations through their app, since this is an area Apple strictly enforces.
3.Throwing branding out the window
An app is an opportunity to be an extension of your brand, but in the excitement don’t lose site of your brand identity. Maintain visual consistency with your business’s other touchpoints and experiences (mobile, app, web, print, and real world) through the use of color, typography, and personality.
4. Overlooking privacy
Apps provide tremendous marketing insight, but don’t collect or use personal information (such as location and contact list) from mobile devices without the explicit permission of the user and disclosing data use. It’s not just uncool, it’s not kosher.
5. Assuming there’s an audience
This one cannot be understated. As is the key with just about any marketing effort, know who you’re targeting, and know how you plan to measure your success before you begin. If you build it they will not necessarily come. Without a plan, your app is likely to be one of the 400,000 “zombie apps” that are never even downloaded from the app store. Study your audience, identify the unmet need, and then use your app to solve that problem. And don’t forget that you’re not done once your app is accepted: You still need to promote it.
