Thursday, March 8, 2018
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
5 Tips for Creating and Launching A Mobile App
5 Tips for Creating and Launching A Mobile App
The mobile app market has been experiencing explosive growth since its inception. The competition is high, but so is the opportunity. With literally billions of people with smartphones–and more to come–the market promises to offer rewards well into the next decade.
It’s only natural for a business to explore the possibilities of iOS mobile app development.
App creation can be as simple or sophisticated as your business demands. All apps, however, benefit from applying a good design and research process. Here are our top 5 tips for building your mobile app:
1. Explore Before Creating
A mobile app is a product. As such, development should be approached with the same best practices for any product creation.
Market research your ideas and study the available data during your idea incubation stage. With over 5 million apps on the market, your app will face stiff competition no matter what, but positioning your idea to be better than others will give you a leg up on your competitors.
Consider micro-testing your idea. Create a simplified, visual representation of your app and offer it on your webpage. Include some form of web analytics tracking to understand if visitors are interested, what they are clicking, and what they are willing to pay for.
2. Pick A Platform for Your App
Mobile apps run on two main platforms: Android by Google and iOS by Apple. By far, developers and marketers advise going with iOS first. While Android runs on more devices than iOS, several factors favor iOS in the app world.
Developers for iOS report that Apple makes development easier, the UX design tools for development are perceived as easier to use, and software updates are more frequent with higher adoption rates.
From a business point of view, iOS tends to offer higher ROI since Apple users frequently spend more on apps than Android users. From a strategy point of view, designing for one platform first saves initial budget outlays and serves as a learning foundation for the next platform launch.
3. Create Mock-Ups and Prototypes
Brainstorm your idea vigorously. If you are a small business, think about tossing ideas to your existing clients for feedback via email surveys. Harness the power of social media by asking for feedback on concepts. You don’t have to reveal you’re doing app research, but ask questions that will inform your decisions.
Once you’ve refined your idea, move on to prototyping. Start a rough draft on a whiteboard or good, old-fashioned paper. When you have a handle on a design, explore online software for creating wireframes and app prototypes.
Wireframes are plain-looking structural plans for your app, much like an outline is to a report. App prototypes are the next step to visualization that can incorporate design ideas like fonts, colors, links and buttons.
4. Work With A Professional Developer
Unless you’re an app developer yourself, working with a professional development agency will ensure you have a quality product to release. Approach hiring a designer as you would any other staff hire: Seek out solid portfolios that hold promise for your own brand identity, client references for similar type of work, and a working relationship that reflects the way you prefer to do business.
App developers will be able to take your ideas to the next level. They can advise you on best practices, novel approaches to your own app, and provide crucial back-end programming savvy often lacked in-house by businesses.
5. Always Optimize Your Mobile App
Promoting your mobile app is crucial to attracting downloads. Apple’s App Store offers 2.2 million apps!
You need to stand out, and the way to stand out is through search optimization. Just as SEO works for internet search engines, apps need to be optimized in the app stores with keywords so that users can find you. Studies estimate that 63% of app users find their apps through search.
Once you have followed the process, published your app, and experience downloads, you have a gold mine for new market research. Monitor your users’ interactions with the app through analytics, solicit feedback from your users, and continually refine what your app has to offer.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
How Artificial Intelligence is Making an Impact on Businesses
How Artificial Intelligence is Making an Impact on Businesses
When people think of artificial Intelligence, they usually think of the ways that it is represented in movies and books. Unfortunately, these are not always pleasant representations. It’s usually something like killer robots trying to take over the world or an AI system that goes wrong and starts harming people.
While this might make for entertaining fiction, the reality of artificial intelligence is very different. Modern businesses use technologies like AI and machine learning to help them make better decisions. For example, a company can use an AI chatbot to help provide better customer support and product designers harness machine learning to develop products that will better serve consumers.
With recent advances in technology, machine learning has come a long way in the last few years, and business leaders have starting to recognize the potential. We are seeing unprecedented growth in the level of investment in AI and machine learning technologies, and we are starting to see some of the new ways that companies are applying these technologies to improve their business.
Applications for AI
Artificial Intelligence is already in use in many industries. AI probably affects your life in a number of different ways, and you may not even realize it. The following are a few examples of different ways that modern businesses are using AI technology.
Chatbots
AI chatbots have changed the world of customer service. With the development of more advanced language processing systems, these chatbots are more useful than they have ever been, and more customers are starting to prefer using them. In a recent study, 70% of respondents said that they already prefer chatbots for simpler interactions.
Self-Driving Cars
Several companies are already developing self-driving vehicles, and it is only a matter of time before these vehicles become a common part of everyday life. Even traditional automobile manufacturers are getting in on the race to build driverless cars. Ford recently made a major investment in Argo AI as a step toward developing the systems that will power their driverless vehicles.
Face Recognition
Face recognition systems use AI technologies like machine learning to provide security for mobile devices and online accounts. Apple’s iPhone X is one such example of how this technology is being brought to consumers, but you also have companies like Google that are investing heavily in AI systems that support face recognition.
Marketing
Artificial intelligence is set to have a major impact on the world of marketing in the near future. With predictive analytics, marketing firms will be able to develop better content, target customers more precisely, and make budgeting decisions that are informed by the most recent information.
These are just a few of the ways that AI is already being used by businesses. You also have banks that are using it to make decisions on investments, hospitals that use AI to provide better healthcare, and engineering firms that use these technologies to improve the design process.
Examples of AI being used by Businesses
Some of the world’s best-known companies are already using AI. Let’s take a look at a few of the ways that large businesses are using this technology.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a site that is all about helping users find the content that interests them. With machine learning, Pinterest is able to provide better and more accurate recommendations, and this helps to keep the site’s millions of monthly active users engaged.
Pinterest uses an algorithm to find the content that users want to engage with, and this algorithm is continually being refined using a machine learning program that analyzes billions of user interactions.
Amazon
Much of the future of smart technology is going to depend on users giving voice commands to AI devices. One such device is Alexa, the digital personal assistant from Amazon.
One challenge for Alexa and other devices that rely on voice commands is the ability of the AI system to understand and respond to language in a way that is natural. Machine learning is one of the keys to offering better voice command services. Companies like Amazon use machine learning to analyze vast amounts of user data that can then be used to improve the language capabilities of services like Alexa.
Netflix
As one of the world’s largest media streaming services, Netflix relies on making smart decisions about the content they provide to their users. With machine learning, Netflix is able to analyze user data to help them gain insights into the content preferences and viewing habits of consumers.
With the insights provided by machine learning, Netflix can then use their budget to deliver more content that users will enjoy. Additionally, Netflix uses machine learning to help the service in providing the best recommendations for users.
These are just a few of the businesses that are using machine learning to improve their services and make better decisions. With more companies recognizing the importance of AI and machine learning, we are going to see continued growth in investment in these technologies, and we are going to start to see more ways that businesses are using AI to get an edge on the competition.
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