Tag Archives: Privacy

How To Do Augmented Reality Well

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  What is Augmented Reality?

Abari, Bharadia, Duffield, & Katabi (2017) define augmented reality (AR) as the “interactive computer simulation which transfers sensory information to a user who perceives it as substituted or augmented.” However, I prefer LaValle’s  (2017) definition which defines AR as “the action to induce a targeted behavior in an organism by using artificial sensory stimulation, while the organism has little or no awareness of the interference” LaValle’s definition gives essential aspect of AR being a technology that merges with real world  to create what appears to the user as seamless as the picture below shows.

Augmented Reality in Medicine

Augmented Reality enables more accurate biopsy Photo Credit: University of Twente

Augmented Reality Uses In Industry

Sarah Downey discusses the uses of AR in various industries.

Is Holographic Augmented Reality The Next Step to AR?

https://youtu.be/cR-DxkBuZOk

RealView Imaging delivers real-time 3D interference-based holograms

While the idea of  Holographic augmented reality above seems exciting, the start-up costs for users are high. There is also an issue with scalability. Aside from the one app where else can users apply the technology? If developers are to make a success of this technology they need to extend usage from one app to a myriad of uses. This is the reason why I am in favour of the development of AR for mobiles because the start-up costs are minimal.

Risks of AR Apps

Platform Integration – which platform do VR apps use?  It is important to design VR apps for the most widely used platforms. When it comes to AR most companies are designing their AR apps within their own platforms in-house eg Google Glass. The problem with this is that their AR apps will only work on their own devices or platforms. There is a need for standardisation in the AR industry, for example, the HTML5 standard is the same in every country, language or device. Apart from standardisation, collaboration in building platforms and apps that make efficient use of VR is also important. Collaboration would cut down on costs an development time.

Investment in development – Because AR is being developed by individual companies that have a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders, they are not likely to experiment in a technology where they have a high probability of crashing and burning. AR is still in its infancy and there is yet an unproven profit to be made. Risk-averse shareholders and managers are not likely to spend large sums on a product that does not have a high chance of financial return.

Privacy concerns – While users want to enjoy apps there is a delicate balance that app developers need to balance user enjoyment with user privacy. The VR app, PokemonGO on iOs made by Niantic received huge backlash in 2016 over its privacy settings which required full access to a user’s Google Account. Why did they need that kind of access for a game? It turns out their app didn’t need all that private information at all to function efficiently (Etherington, 2016).

How to do Augmented Reality Apps Well

Object Scaling in design – During the design phase, AR objects must be created in a manner that merges with the natural environment in terms of size to create a realistic feel for the user. It would appear strange if say a puppy in AR was the size of an 18wheeler truck.

Pre-Define Metrics or KPIs – During the origination phase,  it is important to understand what the AR app will do for the user as well as what it will give the design company or app owners. There needs to be an in-built facility to track, analyse and optimise app performance. How else will a company know that its AR app is doing well? The following metrics should be taken into consideration:

  1. Downloads – How many downloads have been completed in the App store? This information is available to developers on major platforms like iOs, PlayStore
  2. Spread – What is the geographical and demographic spread of app usage? There may need to be more specific targeting needed in different locales and demographics.
  3. Reviews & Mentions – What are users saying about the app? What changes do users want to see? The sentiment analysis feature from Brandwatch would be useful to gauge how users really feel about the app.
  4. Open frequency – How many times a day/week is the app opened? This can help developers and marketers know if their offering is engaging enough.
  5. Time in-app – How long on average, do users spend interacting with the app? if it is a long time then check if the information is readily available?
  6. Value Creation – How does the App create value for both the company and the users? What keeps users coming back. Through Sentiment analysis mentioned above, study how users’ tastes, needs, and beliefs are evolving to keep your app relevant.
  7. Conversion Metrics – these analytics help you quantify if you are achieving your sales goals from your app. They also show you when your customers are likely to buy so you can better focus and optimise your app towards this.

Mobile cloud computing – As mobile devices have average computational power, small batteries as well as inherent rigidity in hardware and software development, there is the need for resource-intensive VR apps to use location-independent computing (Cloud Computing). This allows the “resource intensive tasks and all the complex functions to be performed in the cloud rather than on mobile and having the end results sent to the device and displayed in the screen.”

Usability Testing – before being rolled out to the general public, AR apps must for conform to rigorous user testing on a myriad of platforms and devices to ensure uniformity. Albertazzi et al advise that usability tests should  include “knowing and defining the test objectives, the research questions, the participants’ characteristics, the methods, the task, the environment, equipments and logistics, the moderation rules, the gathering and evaluation of data and the results presentation.”

Branding consistency – An important aspect of app design is to maintain brand consistency in an app.

Social Commerce – If your app is an eCommerce app then the ability to share information as well as to collaborate on purchases is important. It is no secret that human beings are social creatures with an inane desire to gain approval from the ingroup.

References

AR In Action (2017). The massive list of AR use cases | Sarah Downey | AR in Action.

Available at: https://youtu.be/JrZsmfA56Sw [Accessed 1 Apr. 2018].

 Etherington, D. (2016). Pokémon Go updated to address privacy concerns. [online] TechCrunch. Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/12/pokemon-go-update-addresses-privacy-concerns/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].

Fernandez, M. (2017). Augmented-Virtual Reality: How to improve education systems. Higher Learning Research Communications, [online] 7(1), p.1. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1150087.pdf [Accessed 21 Mar. 2018].

Haptical (2018). Augmented Reality enables more accurate biopsy – Haptical. [online] Haptical. Available at: https://haptic.al/augmented-reality-enables-more-accurate-biopsy-cdb10a8f8a26 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Holzer, A. and Ondrus, J. (2009). Trends in Mobile Application Development. 1st ed. [ebook] Dorigny, Switzerland: University of Lausanne, pp.1-10. Available at: http://www.janondrus.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2009-Holzer-BMMP.pdf [Accessed 1 Apr. 2018].

Intel (2012). Building a Mobile Application Development Framework. [online] Intel.com. Available at: https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/best-practices/mobile-app-development-framework.pdf [Accessed 28 Mar. 2018].

Kumara, A. (2017). Mobile Cloud Computing for Big Data Management in Future Smart Phone App Development. SSRN Electronic Journal, [online] pp.1-4. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2932652 [Accessed 27 Mar. 2018].

LaValle, S. (2017). Virtual Reality. 1st ed. Illinois: Cambridge University Press, pp.1-22, 331-380.

Martins, V., Soares, L., Mattos, V., Makihara, E., Pinto, R. and Guimaraes, M. (2012). Usability Metrics for Augmented Reality Applications. 2012 XXXVIII Conferencia Latinoamericana En Informatica (CLEI), [online] 41(41), pp.1-5. Available at: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6427125/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2018].

NHS Innovations South East (2014). App Development: An NHS Guide for Developing Mobile Healthcare Applications. [online] Innovationssoutheast.nhs.uk. Available at: https://innovationssoutheast.nhs.uk/files/4214/0075/4193/98533_NHS_INN_AppDevRoad.pdf [Accessed 24 Mar. 2018].

RealView Imaging (2016). Holographic Augmented Reality – The Fundamental Advantages of Digital Light Shaping™ Technology.

Available at: https://youtu.be/cR-DxkBuZOk [Accessed 1 Apr. 2018].

Let’s Get Appy : A Building A Successful App

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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:

  1. “Practice Privacy By Design
    Be proactive. Ask important questions and embed privacy
    measures throughout the lifecycle of your product or service.
  2.  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.
  3.  Make Your Privacy Policy Easily Accessible Don’t make users search for your privacy policy –make it prominent and easy to find.
  4. 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.
  5. Provide Users with Choices & Controls
    Empower users. Allow them to choose and control
    the way their data is collected and used.
  6. Secure Your Users’ Data!
    Always use appropriate and up-to-date security
    measures to protect user data.
  7. 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)

References:

Chaffey, D. and Smith, P. (2017). Digital Marketing Excellence: Planning Optimising and integrating Online Marketing. 5th ed. London: Routledge, pp.1-21.

DeMers, J. (2018). Why You Need To Prepare For A Voice Search Revolution. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2018/01/09/why-you-need-to-prepare-for-a-voice-search-revolution/#38a4888e34af [Accessed 25 Feb. 2018].

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].

Rowles, D. (2017). Mobile marketing. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page, pp.11, 18-19, 41-52, 103-120, 183-192 &217-231.

Shchutskaya, V. (2017). The Best Ways of Applying AI in Mobile Apps – Hiring | Upwork. [online] Hiring | Upwork. Available at: https://www.upwork.com/hiring/for-clients/applying-mobile-app-ai/ [Accessed 24 Feb. 2018].

 W3C (2017). Introduction to Web Accessibility ◦ Web Accessibility Initiative ◦ W3C. [online] W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Available at: https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php [Accessed 24 Feb. 2018].

Zhu, H., Xiong, H., Ge, Y. and Chen, E. (2015). Discovery of Ranking Fraud for Mobile Apps. IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, 27(1), pp.74-87.