It’s been established that mobile is quickly on the rise, and that mobile and tablet usage is increasingly surpassing desktop usage. According to Mobithinking, there are now 1.2 billion mobile web users world wide, and mobile websites account for 8.9% of global website hits. According to socialnomics, when smartphone users see an ad on TV, press or online, 71% of them do a mobile search to find out more information. However, 70% of businesses still don’t have mobile optimized websites. Enhancing your strategy with a mobile website or app is a sure-fire way to give your business a competitive edge.
According to an Avanade-sponsored study, 88% of business executives are using their own cell phones for business — using the mobile web but also engaging in mobile apps. B2B businesses and other high level executives are recognizing the power of mobile websites and mobile apps within the business space. Not only do they provide to enhance productivity within all departments of your business, allow business executives to work remotely or while traveling, but they also enhance communication and collaboration between employees.
What that in mind… check out these 5 tips for developing a mobile app for the enterprise.
1) Decide which OS and devices you want to work with
Deciding on which OS and devices you’d like to work with depends on who you’re primarily looking to engage — if you’re main audience is your workforce, iOS and iPad is probably going to be your top priority. However if you’re also looking to engage customers and vendors, investing in other platforms such as Android or Windows Phone might be another important option to consider (Extension Engine).
2) Create an App That’s Task-Specific
Task specific apps are one of the best ways to increase productivity. In Linda Musthaler’s blog, she mentions Taptera, a company that develops Mobile Enterprise Apps — and are a perfect example of task-specific applications. Some of their products include: Rooms, which allows you locate available conference rooms; Colleagues, a mobile corporate directory; and Events, which allows event organizers to add speakers, sponsors and other event information to the app seamlessly.
3) Create With User Experience as a Priority
With thousands of applications streaming through the App Store, expectations are high for user experience, and patience for slow or aesthetically unappealing apps is low. Although functionality for a mobile enterprise app is clearly a priority, user experience and design should not have to suffer.
4) 1, 2, 3, Testing…
Regardless of how large your user base will be, testing is essential, and lots of it. This especially becomes important if you’ll be designing across multiple platforms. Testing doesn’t necessarily become irrelevant once the app is launched — frequent maintenance and “upkeep” is also key for success.
5) Deployment & Support
As related to the previous point, stay in sync with your users and be there to address any issues and get them resolved as soon as possible. In addition, OSs like Android and iOS have updates frequently, typically every few months — which also need to be thoroughly tested.
For more interesting statistics on the mobile web and mobile app downloads, check out this very revealing infographic by Zendesk:
Want to learn more about mobile marketing? Make sure to secure your seat at our upcoming Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit, May 15-17, San Francisco. Register befor April 6 and save $200! Contact Michael Roche at michael.roche@gsmiweb.com.
Also keep an eye out for our Mobile + Web Developer conference, July 17-19, San Francisco. Website coming soon! For registration information contact Jessica Drew at jessica.drew@gsmiweb.com.
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