Jo Reid,
Launch of the Belfast Soundwalks App, in association with Belfast Music Week Staff and PhD students from the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC), Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with Belfast City Council, have been developing an app over the past 10 months for iPhone and Android smartphones. Entitled ‘Belfast Soundwalks’,…
Kieron Gurner,
Mobile gaming is on the rise, with sales of games on Android and iOS fast becoming serious contenders to the handheld consoles already on the market. As device technology improves, and mobile technology becomes ever more ingrained in our lives, people might start wanting more interesting ways to interact with your organisation.
Kieron Gurner,
Mobile activities are all about context. The place, time, situation and surroundings all play a role in the way people think about and use technology. Smart phones have had such a massive impact on our lives because they enable us, in previously computer-free environments. But in what kind of contexts are people using tablets?
Kieron Gurner,
The majority of the apps in the marketplace aren’t making the millions that Angry Birds has, but this doesn’t mean that these apps don’t have value. The best way to enter into app development is to consider the potential for marketing and a new form of engagement with your customers. The app market is notoriously over-populated now, and more apps are being added daily, so how do you make the most of publishing your app, if it’s not about the money?
Kieron Gurner,
There’s no denying that we’ve come to rely on our mobile devices increasingly, using them to do everything; from finding directions with location apps, playing games, ordering groceries – and even, sometimes, making phone calls. As the level of daily engagement goes up, so do the opportunities to connect with your audience in a more personal way.
Kieron Gurner,
Developing ideas for an app can be one of the more difficult things for businesses to tackle. The app market is saturated with apps that are vying for your customers’ attention, and some organisations are instead, turning their attention to apps for their employees. By looking inward and solving day-to-day problems with mobile technology, businesses are making themselves faster, smarter and more efficient.
Kieron Gurner,
Getting people interested and involved in public spaces, historic buildings and other open areas can provide great opportunities for any business that operates around that space. But, for visitor attractions; the cost, upkeep and management of exhibits and displays can be off-putting. In our experience working with clients, like the Tower of London and Tooting Common, we’ve found that a great long-term solution is with an app that gives visitors an experience to remember.
Kieron Gurner,
Finding apps through Google Play and the App Store has always been a long way behind the kind of powerful web search we’re all used to. Developers have, so far, had to aim at getting featured on the front page of the stores to get boosts in user numbers, with little room for organic growth strategies. But companies are starting to challenge this narrow funnel of app discovery in new ways, and we’re on the cusp of things getting better.
Kieron Gurner,
It’s no secret that the mobile market is growing, with sales of smartphones and tablets on the rise, it means that more and more people are interacting with apps, as well as the mobile web. Like it or not, this means that all organisations need to start shifting their traditional views of marketing toward digital.
Just how big is the mobile market, though?
Kieron Gurner,
Over the past year, the app market has exploded. Overloaded with choice, now people want their apps to be truly useful – because if they aren’t, there are plenty of other apps on the market that are. The answer is to move away from making apps-for-apps-sake, and start finding ways to add real value to your customers, and make their lives a little easier.
Kieron Gurner,
More Android apps are being downloaded than ever, and are now almost matching figures from the iOS platform (including iPhone), but still the debate over whether to prioritise iOS or Android continues. It’s partly due to the differences between iPhone and Android customers, but there are also other considerations to make in terms of development time, device capabilities and user experience. We’ll look at some of the reasons why it’s still not that easy to make apps that cross both platforms successfully.
Kieron Gurner,
The markets for tablets are increasing in the same way that smart phones did. We’re now seeing more and more tablets at lower price points, and an increasing attitude that tablet sales will overtake desktop & laptop computers in the next year or so. This signals the need for businesses and organisations to start taking tablets more seriously, but the costs of developing for both platforms can be intimidating. So we pose the question, do you really need an app for iPhone and iPad?