Whitespace: Apt to app - the business case for mobile apps

Issue 61: May 2010

Everyone with a smartphone has them. All of those people lining up for iPads can't do much without them. And entrepreneurs are falling over themselves to rush new ones to market. Apps have everyone talking in a development that begs the question: does your business need its own app?

This month's Whitespace looks at the key trends unfolding in this area including the growth of app content beyond gaming and the emergence of productivity-focused workplace apps. Along the way a number of cutting-edge apps are presented for your consideration.

The bright future of apps

Some commentators suggest apps are a passing trend, yet the exceptional growth of this market, from US$3.1 billion in 2006 to US$9.7 billion in 2009, suggests people are going ape for apps. This has of course occurred due to the rapid growth of the tools that play host to apps: smartphones and tablet computers like the iPad.

In many ways there is nothing revolutionary about apps, they are ultimately task-specific software programs such as games, workplace productivity tools and household gadgets, to name just a few categories. What is different about these programs is where people use them – generally in a mobile environment – and the way they are reshaping computer use.

Cutting-edge app content

According to a recent BusinessWeek article, the secret to creating good app content is to develop experiences that are both genuinely valuable to the user and cannot be found anywhere else. Often the more the specific the better; a good example is Zipcar's app, which allows people to use their iPhones to unlock rental cars. 

US clothing retailer Gap recently called on app developers – both professionals and novices – to conceptualise an app that would appeal to its customers. The most outstanding competition entries were experience-focused apps, such as virtual dressing rooms or music video apps, in which the brand played a secondary role to user engagement.

Aside from entertainment – games are a mainstay of the app world – utility also makes for a successful app. Audi has been achieving considerable blogsphere coverage with the news that its automobiles will have computer-style dashboards that will allow users to download iPhone-like apps to perform a range of clever driving related functions.

Apps go to work

With hundreds of dedicated apps emerging to service organisations of all sizes, app enabled smartphones or tablets may turn out to be the 'clipboard of the future' across a range of professions.

Apps are emerging to help professionals, especially in highly mobile fields like the health sector, to quickly display media and online content via tablet computers.

Other productivity bolstering apps include Dragon Dictation, a program transcribes voice into text, which can then be saved into Word or sent via email or text message; Evernote automatically synchronises files on a smartphone or tablet computer with a PC; and Logmein remotely logs into an office PC when out and about.

And apps don't just provide greater utility for your staff. They are also emerging as an effective B2B communication channel by offering clients the ability to received specialised information in a convenient and mobile format.

The rise of super-apps

App commentators suggest we have only just start to see the potential of apps. It's claimed they will really come into their own when empowered with artificial intelligence, which will see apps given the ability to watch the behaviours of their users and work autonomously to provide solutions.

For example with a newspaper app, content might be automatically collected for a user based on previous browsing behaviours; in effect, the app would offer a highly personalised experience. 

Today's apps may lack the sophistication to offer this degree of personalisation, but they are still in a position to deliver a communication or productivity enhancing experience that can assist businesses and audiences of all sizes.

Deciding what works for your business demands creativity but more importantly it requires you to start the process by answering a few simple questions about your audience: How can we offer a unique user experience? What saves the user's time? What utility can we offer? What can we do differently?

If you're already apt to app, details of DIY app making programs can be found here.

Whitespace is published monthly by the Australian Institute of Management - Qld & NT. Sign up to have a copy sent direct to your mailbox.