Andrew Gazdecki
The year was 1995. Apple was only a fruit, Android’s were R2D2 and C-3PO, and the only place you saw an app was on a restaurant menu. Fast forward 20 years and I here sit, typing on an Apple while I simultaneously, and aimlessly, scroll through apps on my Android bringing the 2015 version of multitasking full circle.
A lot can happen in 20 years, and a lot has, but there was one major change that defined the generation: the Internet. With the introduction of this powerful gizmo came the ability for businesses, organizations and individuals alike to grow exponentially. Next came the age of the website with a main focus of separating a business apart from its competitors while engaging with its target audience. And while websites are still great, the story of their dominance is quickly coming to an end as mobile apps begin their rise.
But what does this new direction mean?
You can’t just throw together a website and think you’ll then have a significant force in the mobile market place. Just being online isn’t good enough anymore because almost every business, no matter the market, is already on the web. The challenge becomes how to separate yourself from your competitors in more ways than one.
One of the initial things you need to focus on is presenting value to your visitors the second they open your app, which begins with getting someone to first download it. Provide the user with a reason to stay on and engaged with your mobile app with a winning design and even better content. We all have — at least I know I have — too many apps on our phone, so give the user a reason to not hit the little ‘x’ when trying to create more storage.
The home page is the face of your app, it should be kept both simple yet inviting. Your content should also provide useful tools with each feature adding to the services offered. Take advantage of things like social media and other appealing perks to keep people engaged. This, along with other features such as push notifications and customer loyalty will build a pipeline of users in your target market.
Keep in mind that no matter what this is a human using a robot, not the other way around because even 20 years later, people are still people.
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