Convenience is the key to designing useful smartphone apps, says J.P. Gownder, Forrester Research (News - Alert) analyst.
"Mobile products must offer services that matter instantly, not later when they could be achieved on a bigger PC screen," says Gownder. "For example, if it’s time to exercise a stock sale, the mobile user needs to know right away."
When an app is designed to be used in store, at a retail location, consumers need product information, price comparisons, reviews, and other information on the spot during shopping excursions.
Apps also have to be designed with simplicity in mind, taking into account mobile device form factors. Minimizing the number of steps to achieve user goals becomes critical.
Also important: pushing up the key content without clutter and removing information that doesn’t add to the experience of the moment.
User interface matters a great deal here, as do the choices of which features to include and which to exclude from a given application, Gownder says.
Context also is key. Mobile empowered products must interact with the user in her current environment.
"That is to say, it’s important to design mobile products that include features with situational awareness via location-based services, barcode readers, and audio/video," says Gownder.
But not all useful apps have to be aimed at retail end users. Mobile apps also can be designed to help organizational personnel interact with consumers and customers.
On the employee side of the equation, new mobile applications enable anytime, anywhere customer service, on the go. Help desk and trouble ticket operations are areas where in-house apps can be useful.
Mobile "self help" apps also ought to be useful, as similar apps designed for PC users have allowed customers to get help and conduct transactions and inquiries themselves, without customer service personnel needing to be involved.
Mobile self help applications should offer deeply relevant, timely, location-specific information and tools, Gownder recommends. Travel apps, for example, can be more helpful when they incorporate awareness of a user's current location. Information that is relevant when making a reservation or buying a ticket is less relevant than information needed when a traveler is close to the airport.
Some early best practices have involved extending existing products to the mobile environment. SparkPeople.com is a Web-based health and wellness service focused on weight loss and exercise. Tracking calories eaten and burned needs to happen at all points during the day. Likewise, knowing how many calories you can eat at your current meal is imperative to the product.
SparkPeople developed the "Diet & Food Tracker" iPhone (News - Alert) app to make tracking and reporting immediate and contextual: when the user is in a restaurant, for example.
Mobile apps also can help consumers choose the right product while on the go. Navigating the over-the-counter medicine aisle at a drug store can be a challenge.
PICKKA Med has developed an iPhone app called "Medicine Finder" that helps consumers choose the right over-the-counter drug while in a store. The app combines contextual location-based information (what store the user is in) with a simple wizard-style digital concierge to help expedite product choice, Gownder says.
"Eventful" helps users find events in their local areas, including leveraging location-based services. Users can find out what events are happening nearby, or at their favorite event venues.
Most noteworthy, users have the option to “Demand It!," requesting that their favorite performers come to town, creating a virtual petition among friends, contacts, and neighbors.
Apps that allow users to interact with their environment also might be fruitful. Shazam (News - Alert) is a music discovery engine with a twist: It can “listen” to a song playing in a room using sound detection technology and determine what that song is.
Barnes & Noble’s iPhone app allows users to take a photo of the front of a book. The application determines what the book is, where the closest Barnes & Noble store is, and allows users to reserve it for in-store pickup or buy it online.
Convenience is a primary requirement for a useful mobile app, as is ability to enable transactions or get information that is immediately useful.
Gary Kim (News - Alert) is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Gary’s articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by Stefania Viscusi