What You Need to Know About Building an App
What do you want it to do?
Before building an app it is important to have clarity of vision on what it is meant to do. This is the point where one should make the value proposition clear.
Create a flowchart of all the steps to the app. Wireframing how pages link to each other is helpful. If there are too many steps to achieving a goal then streamline the process.
Native Versus Web Apps
This is where you select whether the app will run on a device’s native platform like iOS and Android or HTML5. While HTML5 based apps are much cheaper to build and can be used on any device that runs a web browser. However, it is not always the case that an app built on HTML5 will perform the same on every device so you may need different iterations of the app to work on different devices. This is not cost effective. Also, always needing an internet connection is a disadvantage because sometimes users are not within the range of Wifi or cell towers.
Cost
The ability to create a great app depends on budget as well as the expertise employed. For least complicated apps one can have it built by University Students who need to practice their craft in exchange for references. For more complex apps it might be better to hire agencies to perform the task of building the app.
Usability & Accessibility
As the app will be used by a myriad of people of differing abilities it needs to have a “user-friendly” Graphic User Interface (GUI). One would recommend an app that is built according to W3C international standards. The colours and the movements needed to complete actions must be accessible to people with visual and physical impairments. Of course the visual design must be in line with the company’s branding.
App Maintainance
An app is only as good as the team maintaining it. As platforms change due to security and technological advancement constraints it is important to be able to maintain the app. It is also possible for rapid changes in an app to befuddle or annoy loyal users. A case in point this week was when celebrity socialite and Instagram model, Kylie Jenner tweeted the following to her 24.6million users:
The Tweet that wiped $1.3bln off SnapChat’s share price
The tweet was in reference to changes made to the SnapChat app to enhance their revenue stream. The result was $1.3billion was wiped off SNAP’s (Snapchat’s parent company) value on the New York stock exchange. The 1.2million strong petition to return to a previous iteration of the app on change.com did not help Snap’s fortunes. This state of affairs can easily cause the app’s demise because Jenner is a major social influencer for the generation that is SnapChat’s key demographic. It also creates an opportunity for new social networking app to usurp SnapChat’s disgruntled users.
Social
Having social Media sharing built into the app increases the apps’ attractiveness and visibility. It also helps by allowing users to market your app to their social networks using word-of-mouth referrals. Would Candy crash be as much fun if it didn’t allow you the opportunity to beat your friends’ scores?
Scalability & Augmented Reality
The ability for the app to be scaled up to keep up with the changes in technology as well as legal changes is a must for app usage longevity. Can a revenue stream be obtained from the app? Will it be sold to users? If so the value proposition must not only be clear but unique as well. Offering the app for free and having in-app purchases is a great way to hook users. Can Augmented reality be added to the app later to increase the value proposition?
App Energy Consumption
Studies by Mittal, Kansal and Chandra, 2012 showed that apps may “consume 30-40% more battery power” on a user’s device than in app development test devices. Careful testing using different devices that users are likely to use is a must. As a user, I had to delete the Brighton Bus app because it sapped the battery of my android mobile. It needed to use location settings and run in the background even though it wasn’t being used. This problem was not experienced by users running iOS devices.
Risks of an App
EULA vs. Terms of Use
An EULA is an agreement between the downloader of an app and the app maker which gives the downloader the right to use a copy of the downloaded software. In lay terms, it sets out the fact that the downloader cannot make a copy of the software or tamper with it or the server it connects to. The Terms of Use “agreement is wider in scope and more broadly covers how your users should behave while using the app.” (Leah, 2016) From these definitions, it seems smarter to have a robust Terms of Use Agreement which tells a user what they can and cannot do using your app. If this is not clear, then a user can obtain your source code and build an identical app.
Security
In today’s world where security is paramount to both users and app developers; built-in security in an app is essential. For example, my internet banking app allows me to use my fingerprint to log in instead of a number passcode (which can be guessed or accidentally revealed.) Some apps use facial recognition software to log into the app which negates the need for passwords which can be compromised.
Low Uptake
While the app may be a brilliant feat of ingenuity, a major pitfall may be the fact that the is low uptake of the app. If users don’t rave about your app on social media then there is strong likelihood your app will suffer a digital stillbirth. This is why it is important to have social sharing built into the app’s architecture. Another way of increasing uptake is by adding incentives to users to get their friends to sign- up
How to App Well: Hallmarks of a Good App
Privacy
Do you really need to know that? This is a principle which app developers must embrace to create an app that respects its users’ privacy.
The thinktanks, Future of Privacy Forum and Centre for Democracy and Technology (2018) produced the following list of best-practice in excellent app design:
- “Practice Privacy By Design
Be proactive. Ask important questions and embed privacy
measures throughout the lifecycle of your product or service. - Communicate Openly & Effectively
Have a comprehensive and transparent privacy policy covering all of your
data collection, sharing, and use practices. Use clear and simple language. - Make Your Privacy Policy Easily Accessible Don’t make users search for your privacy policy –make it prominent and easy to find.
- Use Enhanced Notice
Don’t surprise users – have respect for context. Use enhanced
notice in situations where users might not expect certain data to be collected. - Provide Users with Choices & Controls
Empower users. Allow them to choose and control
the way their data is collected and used. - Secure Your Users’ Data!
Always use appropriate and up-to-date security
measures to protect user data. - Ensure Accountability
Make sure someone is in charge! Designate a privacy guru or
make sure to explicitly assume the responsibility yourself ” (Future of Privacy Forum and Centre for Democracy and Technology, 2018)
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Future of Privacy Forum and Centre for Democracy and Technology (2018). Best Practices for Mobile Application Developers: App Privacy Guidelines. Centre for Democracy and Technology, [online] 1, pp.1-17. Available at: http://ttp://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/03/privacyframework.shtm [Accessed 15 Feb. 2018].
Leah (2016). EULA vs. Terms of Use for a mobile app. [online] TermsFeed. Available at: https://termsfeed.com/blog/eula-vs-terms-of-use-mobile-app/ [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].
Mittal, R., Kansal, A. and Chandra, R. (2012). Empowering Developers to Estimate App Energy Consumption. [online] pp.317 – 327. Available at: http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/2350000/2348583/p317-mittal.pdf?ip=192.173.128.41&id=2348583&acc=ACTIVE%20SERVICE&key=BF07A2EE685417C5%2E7748C8603FAAB869%2E4D4702B0C3E38B35%2E4D4702B0C3E38B35&__acm__=1519582277_8ce31d0c1525b378d0a522e437125f89 [Accessed 11 Feb. 2018].
Read, B. (2018). Did Kylie Jenner’s Tweet Cost Snapchat $1.3 Billion?. [online] Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/article/kylie-jenner-tweet-snapchat-stock-fall [Accessed 25 Feb. 2018].
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