It’s not uncommon if the first thing you do in the morning is grope around the bedside table for your phone. Who can get out of bed without checking the stocks, checking email, checking Facebook. Or even before going to bed at night, the last thing many of us do is check Instagram, fire off a final tweet, or confirm what time boxing class is the next day. What is it about these apps that have inherently integrated them into our daily lives? There was a time before mobile applications when people didn’t NEED to check mobile apps, but that time occurred simply because they didn’t exist. Now that they do, it can be nearly impossible to imagine what life was like pre-app. How did the most addicting apps become so...addicting? Yet even more importantly, how can your app become one that users can’t get through the day without? Plug Into the Routine The apps that are used the most have everything to do with what their user does in day-to-day life. Think about the ones you use...apps that track exercise and eating, apps that help manage schedules, apps that provide music to help you hum through the day. These are the winners in most people’s lives because they are with the users as they go about their day, and even make it easier for them to do the activities they like. If you can fulfill a need that fits into a user’s daily routine, it’ll be addictive. Integrate with Other Services Some standalone apps have good reason to be just the way they are. However the golden handcuffs are fastened when your app can integrate with apps and services your users already love. For example, PayPal is a well known money transfer service, allowing businesses to accept funds and allows friends to send money to each other. All that is needed is an account holder’s email or phone number and poof, money is sent. However the hassle arrives when the payer must look up the phone number or email address of the person they wish to pay. This can be just as much of a hassle as getting up to get and enter the credit card, which can inhibit the transaction from occurring altogether. Then came along Venmo, a money sending mobile application integrated directly with Facebook. Upon sign up, a user immediately connects to Facebook and accesses the Facebook user’s profile and friends. Once bank account information is initially entered, the user can easily send funds to anyone on their friends list who has also activated the Venmo app. This integration makes it much easier to send money to friends, and removes the barrier of looking up any sort of account information. Because of this Venmo quickly became a go-to app for savvy spenders, and eventually were acquired by PayPal.  Talk to Your User Send timely notifications to let your user know you’re there. You’re competing with a heavy amount of noise both from the users app filled phone and with the busy world around. In order to become an app worthy of daily use, your user should be regularly aware of its existence. For example, if they haven’t logged in for a day or two, send a gentle reminder via push notification to remind them to check in. Perhaps you can gain the user’s email address. If so, send updates on what’s going on with your app to keep the user informed - and your app top of mind. Get Personal Have your user enter personal information, if it makes sense in the context of your app. From there, personalize their experience. When they log in, greet them with a, “Hello Brent!” or even ask them how their day is going. If you know their time zone you could go even further and say, “Good evening, Brent!” The sweetest sound to any person’s ear is their own name - so use that Psych 101 tidbit to your advantage to get your user hooked on your application.  Make it Fun Regardless of if your app is for business or play, most of the time you can still have fun with your user. Gamification is as addicting as sugar, so get your audience engaged in ways that make your app feel more like a game.* Perhaps you can add a host character who guides the user about the app, making it fun and friendly. Or encourage more activity by unlocking new features with continued use. Awarding points or prizes in some way is a great way to make your user feel rewarded - and keep them coming back for more. *If your app is a game, well, make sure it’s a really fun game.  Keep an Eye on User Activity Monitor where your users spend their time. What portions of your app are they using? Which are hardly opened? If you can determine usage you can gain valuable insight into what is working for your app, and build upon the features that intrigue and engage your audience. There are some great tools available that can help you with this, such as Google Mobile Analytics or Flurry Analytics. Just remember that what is taking up valuable data space could possibly better be used otherwise, which can make your app the attractive solution to getting the user through their day. Connect with Friends Similar to our point about integrating with other services, if you can connect your app to the user’s community, all the more reason for them to stay engaged with your app. While we know that we talked about dating applications recently, we can’t help but hammer on the issue of how genius it is to connect daters with people who aren’t entirely strangers. In our particular article we talked about Pear Friends, yet there are other dating applications that utilize user’s friends to get better results when providing matches. One such app is called Hinge, the app that helps users meet new people through friends by connecting daters only with people within the parameters of that user’s social circle. It does this by plugging in directly, again, with Facebook. From there the app searches through friends of friends to determine what kind of people may be a good fit. Using this strategy makes it much more addicting for daters, as infused with it is the excitement of learning who friends are friends with, and the added security that matches are not complete strangers. The success of your app depends on having users. Giving your users a reason to use your app daily gives them reason to talk about it with their friends, thus widening your user base and making you more successful. If you’re ready to get started making that app dream a reality, let us know how we can help you get started.  

Depending on the reason, moving can be an exciting or a terrible experience. Either way, it’s a lot of work that no one particularly wants to do, even if you’re moving to the tropical oasis of your dreams.  Thankfully it’s 2015, and there are apps built for just about everything. From finding the right neighborhood to your specific home, app developers have thought of just about everything when it comes to moving. Let’s take a tour of how the typical moving process works, and the apps that can help you along the way.   Step 1: Get Hired By a New Company to Give You Money Maybe you’re lucky enough to transfer with your company, or the reason for your move is to accept a new position. But for the movers who are relocating based on heart’s desire or just plain needing to get away from Aunt Silvia’s cheek pinching nonsense, you’ll want to get the job hunt squared away or at least off the ground before you hit the road. One of the first places you’ll look is your LinkedIn app, and connect the heck out of everyone in your peripheral network. Then you’ll naturally get your resume up on Indeed and create job filters for the types of jobs you’re interested in. You can do regular job searches on their app while you’re waiting in line at the DMV to get your new license, and receive alerts when a new job in the area you’re looking in pops up. Yet once that lead trail dies down, another great place to look is Intro, an app network that connects via LinkedIn and Facebook to people within your particular industry. Intro introduces you (see what they did there) to new people in your social networks via the persons you have in common. It also alerts you to professional events and social meet-ups so that you can put on your game face and get that new job with your polished elevator pitch and knowledge of the weather.   Step 2: Find Somewhere to Put Your Couch  Ah apartment/condo/house hunting. Such a delight. If you couldn’t read through the blatant sarcasm, allow us to point out that hunting in this regard is nothing really fun at all. But do it you must, and fortunately there are plenty of ways to get it done. Craigslist is an old go-to, but for some reason they no longer support their mobile app. There are now however 3rd party apps that pull ads from Craigslist letting you, the happy househunter, browse from your phone. Two of the most popular, per the App Store, are cPro and Daily Craigslist. We prefer Daily, simply because the UX is a little more friendly and has this feature that lets you circle the listings you like. We like circling things. For Android users, the most popular is cPro again and then CityShop, in which case cPro is the better option.  Getting away from Craigslist is an app specific to the house hunt only. Padmapper, the app that makes, “apartment hunting suck less,” is ideal for drilling down to the locations of places you want to live to view all available listings. Once you download the app, switch on the location services and Padmapper will display on a map all available apartment and housing listings for rent. From there you can filter by price, bedrooms, bathrooms, and keywords, helping you find that new apartment that hopefully won’t suck.   Step 3: Hire a Strong Lad/Lady To Move Your Stuff If you own a truck, you know how annoying it is when every other weekend a friend wants to borrow your truck to move their kayak, couch, or worst yet, their entire residence. Don’t be that guy and get a moving truck. One of our favorites is BuddyTruk, for as they say, “Whenever You Need a Buddy With a Truck.” Available on both the App Store and Google Play, BuddyTruk links you to local people with large vehicles who will use their personal truck to get your stuff from point A to point B. The downside is, this is more the “Uber for Moving,” and isn’t so good for when you have a 3 bedroom home you need to move from Chicago to San Diego. A better alternative for this scenario is Ghostruck, which syncs with professional movers in your area and tell you exactly how much the move will cost. In fact at the time of this writing, Ghostruck is offering a 25% discount on your first move, so get to getting.   Step 4: Settling in to Your New ‘Hood You made it! You’re filling your piggy bank, you have somewhere to rest your head, and all your stuff is in one new place. Now, time to make some new friends - or get really good at solitaire if that’s your thing. If you’d rather interact with other humans, a solid first choice is MeetUp, a social network for strangers who like to do the same activities. Want to practice sprechen-ing your Deutsch? There’s likely a MeetUp group for that in your new town, and you’ll be able to flirt in the ever so romantic language that is German with new neighborhood darlings. No matter how normal or strange your preferred social activities are, Meet Up is a great place to join and check out some of the happenings in your city.  But how about getting to know the neighbors in your specific neighborhood? Nextdoor is “the private social network for you and your neighbors,” allowing you to connect with your neighbors directly in your neighborhood. It even requires a verification process so they can make absolutely sure you live in that neighborhood. Nextdoor is great for finding a new trustworthy babysitter, finding your lost pup, or when you’ve settled in and realized you don’t need 27 beer steins, can help you find them a new home. Moving is the worst, but thankfully there are plenty of ways to get there. Have an idea for a moving app? Ping us here and we can get it moving.

There is no denying the demand for mobile applications in just about every capacity. The phenomenon began with consumer facing apps, allowing businesses to entertain, sell to, or build value for their customers. Then the call for business apps started to climb, as companies understood that having the mobility of mobile (see what we did there?) enabled employees and management to work more efficiently. But once you get to the point where you fully understand the need for mobile - what’s next? Chances are you’re not in the business of building apps yourself and even less likely to have an on-site developer already. Not that you won’t get there, but the big question is, “Where to start?” As such, we’ve laid out the choices for you to see your mobile app development options: 1) Hire On-site Developer It’s a wonderful thing to have a developer on site. Should a bug arise, they are right there for you to interface with and determine what is wrong. Not to mention they are in your same time zone, a huge plus for those of you who understand the joys of working with others around the world. Oh those 11:00pm meetings… However before you can dream of the convenience of a developer on-site, consider your particular business model. Besides the mobile app, what else can they help you build? Do you run a technology based business where your clients use your software? Or would this be a one time project and the developer would no longer be needed? In weighing your options, understand that an on-site developer, while convenient, is a pricey option. 2) Hire Offshore Developer Offshore developers have their fair share of pros and cons. One of the best things about these developers is they tend to be one of the cheapest options. It is not uncommon for companies to hire dev teams in India or Russia, and the cost per hour is considerably less than developers in the US. If you are a start-up, chances are you’re watching a close budget and looking to save cash anywhere you can. Though you may save money on the front end of the project, there are also challenges to consider that could cost you. We get requests every week from companies that have tried and failed to work with offshore development teams. Given language barriers it may not be entirely clear what you are looking for, leaving opportunity for misunderstanding. The team could build something you didn’t want, requiring you rework the app on your dime. Additionally as time zone was a convenience with the on-site developer, that is a weakness in this option. The aforementioned countries are on the other side of the world, which means when you submit requests they will likely not get back to you until the next day. While your eye may be on the budget, it’s probably on the clock too. Hurdling language challenges and time spent going back and forth could be more expensive than anticipated. 3) Do It Yourself At this point you might be unsure of hiring someone else and considering, “Maybe should I learn to code?” Understanding a programming language is a powerful tool, so if you’re at all interested, learn code! The first thing to consider here is that the two languages most commonly used to build iOS or Android native apps are Objective-C and Java. However bear in mind that Apple just released its own programming language, SWIFT. It is absolutely brand spanking new and will be replacing Objective-C over the next few years for iOS development. If you do choose to go this route, be prepared to spend at least 6 months to a year in full-time study. There are many great resources out there that can help you on your way, so fortunately there is no shortage of that. However if you do have a shortage of time, it would be advisable to try one of the other options. Do also remember that while creating your first app is great, perhaps you don’t want to put your company on the line with your first project. 4) Hire Mobile App Development Specialist Whatever it is that you do, you’d like to think you specialize in that thing. Maybe you are the best in medicine or the best in construction management. When considering developing a mobile app then, a natural option is to hire a mobile app development company. These companies already know the ins and outs of creating a mobile app - because that’s all they do. The benefit here is they have already built so many apps they can help you conceptualize precisely what it is you are looking for. While a traditional developer may have great ideas on how to do so, chances are that’s not all they do in their life of coding. The investment in a mobile app specialist may be an investment, but we choose the word investment wisely. The ROI on having a sleek looking app with rich design and drop-dead simple UX could be the game changer to helping your business explode. So which option is best for you? You get to decide. Yet if you need help figuring out how you want to approach building a mobile app or have any questions, we would be happy to point you in the right direction.