Monday, 29 April 2013

How a Well-Designed UI Makes Mobile Apps Trendy

Even before businesses started realising en masse the essential nature of having some kind of a mobile app their arsenal of tools with which to connect to target audiences, there was already hundreds of thousands of apps available in the App Store. Now, this figure is snowballing at an ever faster pace. So how do you differentiate your mobile business app from everyone else’s in such a busy market? One of the best ways to do this is to gain leverage with a cunningly-created user interface (UI) to develop a trendy app which captivates an audience and makes for an addictive experience.
Working with a mobile app development company which understands how to connect with a wide spectrum of people through key UI design decisions that appeal in the right way to get your app trending is an important step to take. Considerations may include the following:
  •  An artistic direction in-line with current design trends and fashions
  •  An intuitive UI which leads a user through features via clear icon labels and prompts
  • A business mobile app which provides genuine utility and value for the potential client
  • Combining these points within the UI in a way which is fun for the end user
Let’s start off by taking a look at some of trendiest apps going which climbed their way to success through solid UI design.

1. I Track My Time

I Track My Time is a great example of an app which satisfies all of these key criteria. With people’s lives becoming increasingly hectic, many are looking to the kind of time management techniques which might be used in business to get more out of their lives. Utility aside, this app capitalises on the idea of the popular idea of the infographic within the user interface design.
People have had enough of staring at endless, boring data and so this colourful, bold and engaging method of displaying information via the interface really strikes a chord. I Track My Time displays info in a way which is not only fashionable and pleasing to the eye, but it makes the app a pleasure to both look at and interact with. Entering your timing information is intuitive and the resulting graphs and charts are gorgeous to look at. This exemplifies precisely the kind of approach to UI design which makes apps a pleasure to use.

2. Tea Round

While it’s important to connect with your audience, it doesn’t always have to be in a way which is rigorously commercial in nature. Tea Round is an excellent example of how genuine utility can be offered in a fun way through a beautiful interface which will win people’s hearts. It’s purpose is nothing other than to help decide whose round it is. The muted colours and old fashioned stovetop-style kettle appeal to the popularisation of retrospective (or ‘retro’) design which has really taken hold over the past few years. The UI of this app is simple, the artistic direction and fun utility are brought together for a great user experience.

3. Telly

It’s no secret that the photo sharing app Instagram was a roaring success story and it was only a matter of time before somebody created a video sharing version of this popular software. Telly was the first one to take this step and the developers created a similar UI whereby to Instagram whereby people could shoot, edit and share short video clips via an intuitive and entirely unintimidating interface, all within the application.
Sharing and editing video was previously a troublesome endeavour and Telly provides the utility to engage in this medium without the hassle of transferring files manually using a PC or Mac. All the UI buttons and icons are pleasing to use and clearly marked, making for a thoroughly user-friendly experience which will get people sharing.

Applying These Lessons to Your Own Business App

There are many factors which make an app great. While the individual components such as concept, features, usefulness and speed are all important, it’s the user interface which glues them all together. If you created the greatest app concept of all time that was of potentially life-changing utility, it would either flop entirely or at least have significantly stunted sales and sharing if the user interface wasn’t up to par. It’s for this reason that our design team constantly keep up-to-date with the latest techniques in interface design, examining and understanding the principles and using them as a springboard for our own innovations.
Should you need to discuss any trendy UI designs for your iPhone or Android mobile application then please feel free to contact RSK Business Solutions.

Get 50% discount on Android application, mobile application, apps development, iPhone developer, iPhone application development.
 

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

How Long Does It Take to Make a Business Mobile App?

If you’ve found this article via the search engines, you’ve probably realised that some kind of mobile app for your business is becoming increasingly essential. Whether it’s for data collection and distribution or you’re connecting with clients via some kind of gaming app, the time has come to embrace the mobile application. Recently, the New York Times stated that “mobile marketing is the most powerful advertising medium ever invented”. There is one reason and one reason only for any medium to win such an accolade from one of the world’s most respected publishing companies and that is the return on investment (ROI).
Having an mobile application developed gives you more reach, more flexibility and more potential for making you money and engaging with your audience. So, quite rightly, you’re looking for an app to be developed for your business. But how long will it take? In this article, we’re going to look at the three main types of app development to provide you with an idea of how the development cycle works.

1. Basic Apps (Data stored on device only)
Even having a basic business application and an app marketplace presence can reap significant benefits. In addition to being the most cost-effective method of dipping your toes in the ocean of mobile applications, it’s also the fastest type to implement. From the beginning of the design stages through to product stability testing and finishing with marketplace deployment, the entire process can be completed in as little as five days. A number of applications such as PhoneGap, MobiForms, Appcelerator or MoSync can decrease the time it takes to have your app deployed across multiple platforms in addition to Apple’s iOS. However, it’s worth noting that using such tools can increase the size of your app’s footprint, making it marginally more cumbersome for devices to run.
Typical development time: 5-10 days

2. Intermediate Apps (Read-only server communication)
If you’re something of a technophobe at heart, don’t be scared of the terminology here. Apps such as these (also referred to as data-extraction apps) simply mean the app receives information from a computer which is somewhere else. A good example of this might be a weather-related app or perhaps to one to check on currency exchange rates. Notice that both of these apps will need the latest up-to-date information for the user and it’s that benefit which is on offer with this kind of application. So, if you needed a mobile business app for London clients, you could send out all relevant information to them for that location. Features may include displaying the latest offers or events for your company. An example may include an application which provides locations of restaurants in London or other areas. However, with such applications you will not be able to make a reservation as that involves sending info from the client’s iPhone or other device, bringing us to the final type of app.
Typical development time: 2-4 weeks

3. Advanced Apps (Two-way server communication)
This version of application is similar to the one above except that information can be sent to you from your client or potential client, in addition to you sending information to them. This feature opens a vast array of possibilities in terms of communicating with your audience and also gathering information on how to best win their business in the future. The possibilities are genuinely endless and the New York Times quote should be a good testimonial to this fact. Also on offer with such business app development is the option to have the information stored locally should there be a connection unavailable at any given time. Because the potential on offer is so vast, the development time depends on the complexity of the software and the requirements of data handling. More or less anything you can think of is achievable and it’s recommended to have a conversation with our technical team to find out how to best implement your idea.
Typical development time: 4-12 weeks

Understanding the App Development Cycle
If you’re considering having a custom application for your business, it’s good to understand the processes behind the development cycle. An entrepreneur armed with this knowledge will gain a clearer insight into how to develop the idea for the application and how to communicate with the design team. You will need to consider which platforms you want to target. For example, Apple iOS, Android, Windows 7 and Blackberry are among the most popular choices. Also, the timescale may vary based on your choice of phones to support and whether the application will run on phone or tablets, or even both.
As a broad overview, the development cycle is as follows:
  1.  Design mockups for the user interface (or UI)
  2.  Fine tuning the design to fit your brand and direction
  3. Development of the app where the features and interface are brought to life
  4. Application testing where all bugs are worked out to create smooth operation
  5.  Publishing the complete product on the marketplace
Knowing these steps, you can see that it’s important to closely consider your design direction at the beginning. All of the best app developing companies in London and elsewhere in the world will have an artistic design team on-hand to help mould the brand new application around your company. This way, when the programmers set to work, you know the app will be as effective as is it is attractive.

RSK Business Solutions provides bespoke mobile application development service in various platforms such as iPhone application development or Android Application development. Please contact us for further details.

Get 50% discount on Android application, mobile application, apps development, iPhone developer, iPhone application development.

 

Monday, 22 April 2013

Mobile Technologies for your Business (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone) Development


Owing to consumer demands, mobile devices today are capable of delivering content in any format. The age of eCommerce has now moved on to mCommerce, pushing enterprises to restructure their business models in sync with current market trends.  Having a website or online store isn’t sufficient any longer – mobile apps are the next big thing. This is the influence of mobile technology.
There are many mobile operating systems that businesses can work with such as Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Apple iOS X, Symbian, JavaFX Mobile, LiMo Foundation, Android, Ubuntu Mobile and BREW.

Growing Impact of Mobile Application and Significance in Business

The question most businesses are asking today is how can mobility enrich their enterprise and manage internal operations better? There are many benefits that mobilization has to offer to enterprises, the most obvious one being, greater flexibility – between employees and their seniors. Other key aspects include better response time, easy access to resources from any location, better decision making, freer interaction with partners, etc. These aspects will contribute greatly to the growth of any business, be it a small company or a large corporation.
Another area where mobile applications have had a huge impact is retail. The IT boom saw many changes in the retail industry with outsourcing and internet applications to achieve competitive differentiation, operational excellence and flexibility. The next step for these businesses is adapting to mobile technology and creating a competitive edge that will, in turn, improve profitability and productivity.  It has already been seen that technology is power and has the capacity to innovate, if integrated well with business processes and values. Mobile technology helps build a wireless workforce that enables better business transition between clients and customers. Mobile communication provides services that help accelerate better business outcomes, beat competition, bring new potential clients and enrich people with the experience of being connected from anywhere and anytime. 

Retailer Apps

To influence the tech savvy shoppers of today, retailers need to seriously consider developing better, improved mobile apps that provide key tools and information. Customization is key and mobile app capabilities need to adapt to consumer requirements accordingly. Smartphone owners are demanding, and it is not enough to provide just a mobile-optimized version of your website with basic product information and transaction capabilities. A more relevant and tailored in-store shopping experience using a retailer’s dedicated app/site will attract consumer loyalty. By enabling mobile capabilities at each stage of the store-shopping journey, retailers can influence sales revenue and potentially improve conversion rates.
If you are not sure what should be the best mobile application strategy for you business then please contact BSL Information Technology (BSLi) for free consultation service