Welcome to the New Barefoot Solutions Blog

You’ve made the decision to create an internal app for your company. You’ve done your homework, examined opportunities to bring value to your employees, and worked with either internal resources or an outsourced development team to bring that value to life. Developing an app for your business is exciting, but achieving a working product isn’t the end of the road. Now you need to launch it, and get employees to use it. Deployment should be planned just as thoughtfully as development. Even if your team has built a beautiful, user-friendly, advanced enterprise app, it can crash and burn during the deployment process. If employees can’t easily download it or sync it across their various platforms, your app will sit on the digital shelf gathering cosmic dust. Here’s what you need to think about before you deploy your new enterprise app. Internal Testing Employee feedback is vital. The point of creating an internal enterprise app is to make your employees jobs easier — and the best way to ensure your app serves its purpose is to ask employees what they think of it directly. You should have already done extensive research on your employees’ needs before beginning app development, but it’s important to test your app as you approach deployment. Things change during the development process — features are added or removed and UI design is adjusted accordingly — and these changes may inadvertently make the app less intuitive for users. Seek employee feedback on whether the latest version of your app does in fact serve their needs. The best way to do this is to deploy an early version of the app, and distribute it to a sample of employees for testing. To do this, you may use ad-hoc distribution through Android or iOS, which allows a company to deploy an app to select users via email invite or a website. If you don’t want to go through Google or Apple, consider using third-party distribution via an outside platform (like Fabric.io) to deploy your app to select employees. Security and Support Android and iOS have different security protocols from traditional IT infrastructures. Your company’s IT team should understand these differences and how to handle them. While both companies offer their own security solutions, you can also turn to third-party options like Samsung Knox and Bluebox for Android. Once the app is deployed, employees will inevitably have questions on how to use it properly and how to resolve issues that come up. Ensure that your IT department can handle support for your app on all relevant devices (mobile, desktop and more). This should be something you talk to your IT team about before you begin development. If your IT staff doesn’t have the resources, you’ll have to consider the costs associated with bringing on third-party mobile-specific support. Availability The method of deployment isn’t always a straightforward choice, especially when you consider the different devices your employees use. When it’s time to release the app to your entire company, what’s the best way to make it accessible on all devices and platforms? An enterprise app is for internal use only — should you make it available on a public app store? Your available deployment options include: Public Stores Making your app available on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store ensures all employees will be able to find and download your app. This easy accessibility is also great for employees who end up changing phones. Google charges $25 for a developer license, and Apple charges a $99 annual fee for an Apple Developer Program license. All apps will have to go through both companies’ app approval processes, before being published to their respective app stores. Enterprise Programs Joining an enterprise program with Apple or Google means your app will be distributed internally to employees (where your company acts as the licensee). While Android doesn’t charge anything to use app licensing features, Apple does charge a $299 annual fee for its Apple Developer Enterprise Program license. Private B2B Store For iOS apps, Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) allows companies to set up their own private app store. Using internal app binaries, you can restrict access to employee-owned devices only. Companies can also share their apps with other VPP-participating companies. Keep in mind, however, that apps still need to be submitted for approval on this platform. Start Planning for Deployment at the Start Don’t wait until your app is designed and built to start planning for deployment. In your very first conversations with your development team about creating your enterprise app, be sure to discuss deployment strategies, potential challenges and solutions. The result will be an app your employees will enjoy using. This isn’t an easy task: while 83% of enterprise app users in a recent study said apps help with productivity, only half said their enterprise app was intuitive. This points to a huge opportunity for yours to stand out from the rest, with proper planning for the design, development and deployment. If you are considering developing an enterprise app for your company, or already have an enterprise app and have questions about how best to deploy it to your employees, reach out to us for a free consultation.

Think back to the last time you were in a place teeming with millennials: it was probably difficult to find people who weren’t tethered to their smartphone. For better or worse, a stereotype of the millennial generation is that they’re constantly connected. That connection happens through apps — ones that have integrated so deeply into their lives that they can’t imagine living without them. If you’re thinking of building your own app, it’s important first to know which ones are reining in the popularity points. Without further ado, here are some of the apps that have the highest concentration of millennial users, according to Statista’s 2016 report on the matter. Social Media While currently in a tumultuous period, Vine remains an incredibly popular app, with millennials making up 78% of its 200 million monthly users. The app is a micro-entertainment platform where anyone can share six-second looping videos. As of January 2017, Vine has rebranded to become Vine Camera, where users publish their short videos directly to mother company Twitter, rather than into a Vine community. Several video gaming apps also serve as hybrid social networks. Apps such as the PlayStation Official App and Twitch have social sharing and messaging functionality integrated into the app, allowing gamers to chat and live stream the video game they’re currently playing. Apps that target a specific niche market — in this case, millennial males who love gaming — have huge potential to be successful. Messaging Yik Yak is a social messaging app that allows users to scan their geographic area and anonymously chat with people in their vicinity. An online community center, Yik Yak users share news, photos, and questions with people around them in the form of “yaks.” They also have a say on the popularity of those yaks, casting an up or down vote for individual posts. Unlike Twitter, where anyone can chat in a specific area if they use a geographic hashtag (i.e. #NewYork), Yik Yak users must be located within a five-mile radius of where they’re chatting, guaranteeing that the commenters are genuinely in the area. Yik Yak has the highest concentration of millennial users for 2016 — 98% of its audience is within this demographic group. The popular GroupMe is a group messaging app that works across every platform — perfect for the millennial who is equipped with five devices. Three-quarters of GroupMe’s users are millennials, and the app makes it simple to coordinate dinners with friends or this year’s trip to Coachella. [gravityform id="9" title="true" description="true" ajax="true"] Music SoundCloud is an app used by millennials to publish, listen to, and discover new music. Initially seen as competition for MySpace, SoundCloud’s advantage is that it allows users to reshare music and sounds via a specific link, making the app more social in nature. This shareability and its usability on the go is a reason why 74% of SoundCloud’s users are millennials. YouTube Music is another app with a high concentration of millennial users. It’s a standalone app that allows users to listen to the same number of tracks they’d be able to hear on competitor platforms. The app also creates a daily playlist for users and integrates other interesting features such as karaoke tracks and the ability to view live concerts. Finance When it comes to personal finance, Mint is the leading app among millennials. This could be because of its easy-to-navigate interface and its functionality: users can view all their financial accounts in one place, and the app automatically categorizes spending into categories such as groceries and utilities. Millennials recognize that budgeting is important, but are less likely to create a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. Mint puts budgeting and financial management in the palm of their hand. Venmo is excellent at simplifying the daily finances of a millennial. The app is a digital way to keep track of what is lent and owed money-wise amongst friends and family. Whether it’s buying festival tickets for a friend or splitting the cost of dinner, Venmo can be used to track those transactions. Once that information is entered into the app, Venmo users can securely send and receive money using the app, saving friendships from a potential slog of IOU lists and reminders. Millennials clearly find the app useful — 94% of its users fall into this age category. Reason for Popularity Amongst Millennials Each of the apps above tap into a different part of a millennial’s daily routine. What they all have in common is a simple interface and the ability to enhance a user’s social behavior. When creating or improving an app, consider how your app will integrate into a twentysomething’s daily routine. If you can’t picture them pulling out their phones and intentionally opening up your app or talking about it with a friend at least once a day, it’s probably not going to be a hit. If your app is shareable, provides deep value, has a chic look, and is easy to understand, it will have a greater chance of success among this population.

We all have our heros. Richard Branson taught us why neckties are the worst. Steve Jobs demonstrated that simplicity can build an empire. Bill Gates proved that a diploma doesn’t forecast success - and that sometimes nerds can win the whole game.   Yet today we want to focus on another hero of ours - Ron Swanson.   Fictional character of the hit NBC TV show Parks and Recreation, Swanson is a no nonsense guy’s guy. A meat eating, Europe hating, screw-the-government, breakfast food enthusiast. While much of the humor spouted by the anarchist character is heavily tongue in cheek, there’s a lot to be learned about web and mobile app development from the father of stoic narcissism.   Here are a few nuggets of Swansonian wisdom that can guide you in your iOS and/or Android application development quest:   1. "Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”     One of the most important things when building an app is understanding that you aren’t building a super robot that can accomplish everything there ever was. You won’t develop the Tweeting LinkedIn integrated CRM with chat functionality throwing Angry Birds that Crush Candy.   Find your niche and get good at it. Not just a little bit, but REALLY good at it. You won’t please every user but if you can hone in on what makes your niche users fall in love with your app, that is how you will experience viral growth.   2. “Turkey can never beat cow.”   A little context, Ron Swanson and Rob Lowe’s health nut character face off in a hamburger cook-off. Swanson simply uses a traditional bloody beef burger with nothing on it. Meanwhile Lowe goes above and beyond with ingredients, fancy spices, flashy decorations, and generally puts far more effort dressing up his burger-mimick than Swanson ever did.   Who won? Swanson with his beef burger.   Regardless of how much effort Lowe muscled into dressing up the turkey imitation, he still was working with the wrong product - and his audience knew it. Your audience is just as aware, and will see right through your product if you don’t do it right. Now there are two things we want to point out here: Be original - don’t copy another application.   While we believe in the idea of borrowing brilliance, we don’t believe in being a copycat. Facebook is the Facebook of all the Facebooks, so don’t build another Facebook. Make sure your idea is different enough to solve a real problem in the marketplace and is the solution people are looking for and can be excited about.   Don’t hire a second-tier development team - go for quality.   As the turkey burger is inferior to the beef burger, so are unproven developers to the experts. In mobile app development, finding the right developer who knows what they are doing may seem expensive on the face of the project. But in our experience, we have had client after client come to us lamenting the hiring poor developers to save a few pennies on the surface, only to pay for their mistakes and go to the experts in the end anyway. Do it right from the start to save yourself time and money.   3. “Crying: Acceptable at funerals and the Grand Canyon.”   Building an app is a long, well worth it process, filled with unexpected roadblocks and sometimes unforeseeable problems. We previously discussed the obstacles you may face in developing your application but in sum, remember to keep a cool head and know there will be challenges. This will enable you to lead your team with patience and end up with the product you all were hoping for. The point here is not to freak out and yes, the development process can sometimes be tough.   Through the same vein, Swanson gives us another good example of demonstrating toughness. During a typical meeting, to relieve an alleged toothache Swanson grabbed a pair of pliers. After moments of shaky tugging and pulling, he yanked out his own tooth. As his colleagues horrified shrieks faded down the hallway from fleeing the room, Ron turned to the camera to state, “It’s always a good idea to demonstrate to your coworkers that you are capable of withstanding a tremendous amount of pain.” Touche Ron, touche.   4. “There’s only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk. Which is water that’s lying about being milk."   It’s not uncommon for salespeople to over promise what their product can do. However the companies that really get ahead are honest with what they offer and clear about their application’s capabilities. When you get to the final marketing process of your mobile or web application, maintain integrity in your marketing. Being honest about your finished product is what can earn you lifetime, loyal users.   Overall, building a web or mobile application is a process. Many steps must be considered and many people will be involved - but you can do it. And now that you have completed our bacon lover’s guide to app building, may we offer one final blessing from Swanson:   “Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into Swansons.”   Have questions on getting started on your mobile app, or already started and a little stuck? Ping us here and let us know how we can help.   Ron would.