When you can’t find existing software suited to optimize your company’s unique workflows, it’s time to take matters into your own hands with a popular solution that is quickly catching the eye of Fortune 500 companies — developing your own internal app. Also called enterprise apps, internal apps give you the option to create a custom app that is designed to support the unique aspects of your workflow, and potentially make your employee’s lives easier. But, creating the app doesn’t automatically guarantee more productivity and efficiency — you have to make sure you’re developing an app your employees will actually use. Before you invest a lot of time and money, let’s discuss what to keep in mind and do when developing your enterprise app so your employees will use it. Your Employees Come First Unfortunately, employees won’t use an app simply because it’s there (even if you’ve built it specifically for your company). This thinking takes mobile use for granted: apps that deliver a poor experience or don’t meet user needs will be abandoned. In fact, the rise of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies highlights that employees will use their own devices (and, by extension, the apps of their choice) to make work easier. The first step to avoid app abandonment is to consider who your employees are and what they will use your app for. Are they office workers who work from their desks all day? Are they on-the-road field workers? Do they work in warehouses or deliver goods cross-country? With your employees in mind, you next need to identify problems they face. For office employees, this could be coordinating schedules for meetings and project collaboration. For warehouse employees, it could be communication with other warehouses or those responsible for completing orders. Once you have identified their problems, you can start sketching out the solution your app will offer to improve their working experience. User Experience is Everything Developing an app that meets your employees’ needs is only part of the solution. An app that has a clunky or confusing interface will turn users away. According to a recent survey on user experience with enterprise apps, 83% of users think apps make them more productive, yet only 30% of users said their work app was intuitive. Just over half (52%) said their app was reliable or stable. The survey highlights the need for companies to focus on areas that enhance the user experience (UX). when developing their apps, which include: Functionality: Apps need to be intuitive to use. This includes a clean, simplified interface and easy navigation. Reliability and Stability: Employees need to know they can rely on your enterprise app to not crash or freeze. Speed: One study by CA Technologies found that 68% of consumers surveyed expected an app to load in six seconds or less (more than half expected a loading time of less than three). Apps that take longer are more likely to be abandoned by users. Usefulness: As we’ve already discussed, enterprise apps need to solve the problems of your employees. The Product Delivery Chain So what’s the best way to develop an app that equally addresses employee pain points and the user experience? App development has typically followed the delivery funnel approach, where product development takes top priority. Employees won’t see the app until it’s in the final stages of development. The end result is an app that might work but doesn’t necessarily meet the needs of end users. Instead, enterprises should focus on soliciting feedback along the way, which promotes collaboration from all departments along the entire development process. At Barefoot, we solicit feedback at almost all stages of development: we start with user interviews through a discovery phase, collect user feedback through the architecture and taxonomy descriptions, and finally build a functional prototype to demonstrate how the app will function, which we also use to solicit user input. Including feedback at every stage is complicated, but it’s necessary. Keeping communication channels open means that employees can explain their needs to developers and designers. Companies that take this approach will see less changes to the app, and higher adoption. Employees will feel valued knowing their needs are being addressed from the get-go. Ultimately, you’ll deliver an app that employees will enjoy using. Closing the Need Gap Companies need to consider the user experience and the development process before getting started on an enterprise app. Making changes after-the-fact can be costly in terms of development time and re-acquainting employees with changes. With apps playing an ever-growing role in our lives, companies are presented with a huge opportunity to provide true value to their employees and fix problems unique to their workplaces. Yet the current gap between employee needs and app quality is wide. By taking an employee-centered approach, you can take the lead in closing this gap. Your employees will thank you. Considering developing an enterprise app for your employees? Get in touch with us today for a free consultation.

When you can’t find existing software suited to optimize your company’s unique workflows, it’s time to take matters into your own hands with a popular solution that is quickly catching the eye of Fortune 500 companies — developing your own internal app. Also called enterprise apps, internal apps give you the option to create a custom app that is designed to support the unique aspects of your workflow, and potentially make your employee’s lives easier. But, creating the app doesn’t automatically guarantee more productivity and efficiency — you have to make sure you’re developing an app your employees will actually use. Before you invest a lot of time and money, let’s discuss what to keep in mind and do when developing your enterprise app so your employees will use it. Your Employees Come First Unfortunately, employees won’t use an app simply because it’s there (even if you’ve built it specifically for your company). This thinking takes mobile use for granted: apps that deliver a poor experience or don’t meet user needs will be abandoned. In fact, the rise of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies highlights that employees will use their own devices (and, by extension, the apps of their choice) to make work easier. The first step to avoid app abandonment is to consider who your employees are and what they will use your app for. Are they office workers who work from their desks all day? Are they on-the-road field workers? Do they work in warehouses or deliver goods cross-country? With your employees in mind, you next need to identify problems they face. For office employees, this could be coordinating schedules for meetings and project collaboration. For warehouse employees, it could be communication with other warehouses or those responsible for completing orders. Once you have identified their problems, you can start sketching out the solution your app will offer to improve their working experience. User Experience is Everything Developing an app that meets your employees’ needs is only part of the solution. An app that has a clunky or confusing interface will turn users away. According to a recent survey on user experience with enterprise apps, 83% of users think apps make them more productive, yet only 30% of users said their work app was intuitive. Just over half (52%) said their app was reliable or stable. The survey highlights the need for companies to focus on areas that enhance the user experience (UX). when developing their apps, which include: Functionality: Apps need to be intuitive to use. This includes a clean, simplified interface and easy navigation. Reliability and Stability: Employees need to know they can rely on your enterprise app to not crash or freeze. Speed: One study by CA Technologies found that 68% of consumers surveyed expected an app to load in six seconds or less (more than half expected a loading time of less than three). Apps that take longer are more likely to be abandoned by users. Usefulness: As we’ve already discussed, enterprise apps need to solve the problems of your employees. The Product Delivery Chain So what’s the best way to develop an app that equally addresses employee pain points and the user experience? App development has typically followed the delivery funnel approach, where product development takes top priority. Employees won’t see the app until it’s in the final stages of development. The end result is an app that might work but doesn’t necessarily meet the needs of end users. Instead, enterprises should focus on soliciting feedback along the way, which promotes collaboration from all departments along the entire development process. At Barefoot, we solicit feedback at almost all stages of development: we start with user interviews through a discovery phase, collect user feedback through the architecture and taxonomy descriptions, and finally build a functional prototype to demonstrate how the app will function, which we also use to solicit user input. Including feedback at every stage is complicated, but it’s necessary. Keeping communication channels open means that employees can explain their needs to developers and designers. Companies that take this approach will see less changes to the app, and higher adoption. Employees will feel valued knowing their needs are being addressed from the get-go. Ultimately, you’ll deliver an app that employees will enjoy using. Closing the Need Gap Companies need to consider the user experience and the development process before getting started on an enterprise app. Making changes after-the-fact can be costly in terms of development time and re-acquainting employees with changes. With apps playing an ever-growing role in our lives, companies are presented with a huge opportunity to provide true value to their employees and fix problems unique to their workplaces. Yet the current gap between employee needs and app quality is wide. By taking an employee-centered approach, you can take the lead in closing this gap. Your employees will thank you. Considering developing an enterprise app for your employees? Get in touch with us today for a free consultation.

Mobile application technology is about more than fun and games. Biotechnology and other science apps are changing the way both beginners and experts look at the field — and the result is a better-informed public. Here are a few of the best biotech/science mobile apps available for download: My Cancer Genome This free iOS app tracks the rapidly-advancing cancer medicine field, giving users access to information on FDA studies, clinical trials, recently approved cancer drugs, and more. People can search information on their cancer type and learn more about mutations, therapies, and medicines available. Contour Diabetes Recently approved by the FDA, this app connects via Bluetooth to a smart diabetes monitor and will debut in early 2017 for iOS and Android users. The app then gives patients suggestions on management and care. By analyzing the trends of users, the app can provide long-term solutions that allow patients to change their habits for good. The device also alerts users through the app and helps with meal planning. Patients can sign up for cloud-based data logging, too. Human Genome Users can find information that connects certain genes with disorders, and can learn more about their own genetic makeup. From a technical standpoint, the app outlines where specific genes are located on chromosomes. The information provided in the app is loaded from the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI) Information, the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine, and more. Genetic data is updated as new information is obtained. The app is free through iTunes. Genetics 4 Medics This app is an encyclopedia of information on genetic conditions. Users can search by the condition name, or symptoms. There is a wealth of data and digital literature on each condition, along with case studies and typical treatments and therapies. There are also strong graphics that identify the location of the genes. The app has an upfront cost of $4.99 and is available for Android and iOS. FierceBiotech Recently relaunched, the FierceBiotech mobile application is a one-stop shop for news in the industry on topics like FDA rulings, clinical trials, and biopharma news. Inside the app, readers can browse full articles and save them for offline reading later. The app also offers push notifications when biotech industry news happens. It’s free for iOS users. Clear Organic Chemistry For those who find organic chemistry challenging (and that’s many, many people), this app tries to strengthen the user’s knowledge base and offer insight into the field. Students can delve into the 144 practice questions and then review the bonus material at the end of each quizzing section. Reactions and nomenclature are split and studied, clearing up any organic chemistry confusion. Cheaper than a chemistry tutor, the app is inexpensive at just $1.99 for iOS devices. DNA/RNA/Protein and General Molecular Weight Calculator This free app for iOS devices is pretty clinical in its aesthetic but gets the job done. It contains four calculators that are used for protein, DNA, RNA, and chemical formula calculations. Users can figure out the molecular weight of chemical formulas by typing it in, or picking one from a generated list. The app is free for iOS devices. Physics! For science and biotech students and beginners, this app provides 20 classic formulas for free. Among those formulas are calculations for force, mass, and acceleration. Users can purchase an additional 20 formulas and then submit their own custom formulas. While it’s best suited for beginners, the app is also helpful for researchers who want to solve physics problems quickly. With the right mobile apps, biotechnology and related fields are more accessible than ever before. From FDA news to formula cheat sheets, science is literally at your fingertips.