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It’s true - there is a clear trend we are abandoning our desktops and hopping on phones and tablets to access the Internet. 2014 figures range from 23 - 55% of users Interneting via mobile, with the heaviest mobile useage, 55%, occurring in the United States. So we don’t need to spend any time convincing you: You need a web option for your business. A percentage of users will access via mobile device. Phew, that’s out of the way. The conversation, rather, is around how you want your users to interact with your site - mobile web or native app. Mobile web is typically the cheaper upfront option, which allows space for small businesses to find reason to avoid the expense of building a native app. Yet the app is increasingly taking over the mobile market, largely due to superior UX, are generally more powerful and are very much a hip trend. 2014 research in a much cited Flurry study shows that apps, “commanded 86% of the average US mobile consumer’s time, or 2 hrs and 19 minutes per day.” Most of that time, 60%, is spent on gaming and social media sites, clearly demonstrating the entertainment component of the native app. That's right, we haven’t completely forgotten about wonderful wastes of time like playing Angry or Floppy Birds. Fun components aside, at what point does your growing business need a native app - or do you even need one? If we know that internet users are increasingly accessing via mobile, and most of that time is spent via native app, the last thing you want to do is get left behind without providing the option users are clearly demanding. Here are some considerations to help you make the decision to go app or opt not: Your Specific Business Needs As with anything, the decision is based first on careful consideration of your particular business and customers. What do you sell and what are your clients like? Social? Utilities? Marketplaces? Then let’s be crazy honest, an app is for you. But if you, say, work with clients primarily on a face-to-face basis as a small restaurant, coffee shop, or even as a lawyer, you can likely get away with a well thought out responsive design. Additionally if you rely on search engine traffic, that’s a good indicator you can perhaps stick with mobile web. Commerce Mobile commerce (mcommerce) is anticipated to continue trending upward as we march on through the 21st century. A recent study predicts that 25% of commerce will take place on mobile by 2017, which again is a helpful reminder that your users are on mobile. If you have a commerce option, there certainly are ways via mobile web to effectively facilitate transactions. But if you are selling, you want users to consistently keep buying - and the native app has been found to be linked to brand loyalty. Customer and Brand Loyalty Get real with yourself - do you have loyal customers and/or solid brand recognition? Native app is best for when you have a loyal customer base. For example, I have a smartphone like most breathing Americans, but it can take me a while to make the commitment to download a mobile app. Often when I visit sites I’ll be asked to “Download our App!” which I often bypass the first time I see this suggestion. You may behave differently in your Interweb mobile browsing, but to me, often times I just want the information I’m looking for and to be done with it. But as time goes on and I use a service more than once, I’ll make that 2 minute commitment to download an app. I eventually come to the realization the app will be much easier for me to access if I’m going to continue visiting. While I still deal with download commitment phobia, it is clear that engagement on the native app is increasing as, “the average time spent with mobile apps in the U.S. grew 35% in 2012 to 127 minutes per day, while average time on the web declined 2.4% to only 70 minutes per day.” Responsiveness How important is it to provide your users with a fast response? Yes, anyone would say, “Very important!” Yet in all honesty, not every site needs a speedy user experience - but you might. One of our favorite things about Native apps is how one tap will instantly move the user on to where they want to go. Much faster than irritatingly pausing for that please-wait-while-we’re-connecting-to-the-internet spinner to finally stop. The other consideration is if you do want the superior responsiveness of a Native app, you will likely be trading for a lower accessibility than you can achieve with mobile web. End Goals At the end of the day, what are you after? Whether it’s to sell more, increase engagement, or communicate in a more targeted way, arguments can be made for either native app or mobile web. The superior UX of a Native app will likely encourage greater activity as they encourage a deeper engagement with the user. But if you are trying to get as many people to your site as possible without a significant number of features available, you can likely get away with a mobile site. Remember, responsive is not just about fitting everything on the screen. Native app is not just about joining the trends. Your company has a specific set of needs and so do you. As we continue to track mobile usage, it seems clear that users will continue to download apps - and if you have an idea for an app, yours should be one of them. by Joni Erdmann            

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.

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.