Tablets and smartphones are shaking up how people are doing their daily tasks and even how they connect, have fun and socialize. Mobile apps are now becoming an indispensable part of our lives and you know how the saying goes: there is an app for every thing you need. Now, companies are getting into the fray, developing mobile apps for their employees or for their customers.
Admittedly, mobile app development is never simple. What do you need to remember so that you do not fall into the cracks?
- Make use of the tablet’s or phone’s features and form factor. You should design your app with the aim of taking full advantage of the sensors that come with a tablet or smartphone. Most of today’s mobile devices include a camera, accelerometers, GPS, Internet connectivity and other features. Incorporate these functions into your mobile app. For instance, you can allow users to take snapshots and add these to their calendar entries in your app, or allow them to get timely deals and discounts, depending on their location.
- Be mindful of user experience. Optimize your app so that your users have a great mobile experience with it. You simply just cannot port your existing Web site or application into an app and hope that users do not notice. Be sure that your app is easy to use and your content easy to read, and make it easy for people to key in their inputs. Design for simplicity, as well.
- If it ain’t broke… The good news is that you can use readily made applications that may be integrated and used in your app. For instance, you can use Google Maps to provide traffic information in your app, or get data from Foursquare to recommend deals and discounts nearby.
- Give your users real-time content. Because most people have their mobile devices with them almost every waking minute, you might want to consider giving out real time updates in your app.
- Make your app useful and empowering. Your mobile app needs to be very useful and allow your users to be more productive, or allows them to do things easier. That said, avoid making an app just because you want to have an app. Be sure to pinpoint a need among your customers and users and find a way for them to solve these issues or address these needs by using your app.
- Make security a priority. Next to user experience, the most important thing that you should focus on is security. Be sure that customer data and your own data are safe from prying eyes, and plug any vulnerability that can be exploited in the apps. What’s more, you should institute security measures in the event that the mobile device is misplaced or stolen.
- Learn from other apps. The best way to improve your mobile app development is to take a look at what is working for other apps and what is not. You need to see what features your customers are using, what you can do to simplify the user interface, or how you can make your app more valuable to your users?
In any case, do you know that Oracle has several products such as Oracle ADF Mobile and Oracle Cloud Application Foundation that allow you to improve your mobile app development and make it easier for you to come up with a killer app? Call Four Cornerstone today to find out what these products are and how you could use them for your business.
