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Apple Brand & Identity Design Mobile Apps

Mobile UI Design: 7 Most Common Types of Screens

Mobile UI Design

There are over 2.7 billion smartphone users and 1.35 billion tablet users across the world. According to a study, on average, Americans check their phone every 12 minutes, and 90% of mobile time is spent on apps across the globe. Also, more than 6000 mobile apps are released every day. These figures are staggering and are sufficient enough to highlight the popularity of mobiles and their apps. The first thing a user notices while interacting with your app is its interface. So, it is crucial to have a pleasing mobile UI design to ensure that your user sticks around and enjoys browsing the app.

To build a useful mobile UI design, designers need to investigate its characteristics and learn their constituents and functionality thoroughly. Mobile applications indeed evolve with changing user needs. Thus, designers strive to add new functionalities every day to fulfill user needs. That said, there are still some screens that are default and are commonly used across a majority of apps. Here is a list of the top 7 most common types of mobile app screens.

1. Home & Menu Screen

The home screen is an essential part of any application. It’s the main screen from which users navigate to all the other sections and options of the application. Although home screens differ from one app to another, depending on the product and its purpose, still there are some common key elements of all home screens. Firstly, it has a search field so that users could easily search for what they are looking for. Secondly, it contains navigation elements providing access to the various content sections. There are two ways of presenting the menu in mobile applications – it can either be a part of the main screen or a separate screen. 

Note: It is advisable to keep the number of options in the menu under seven, featuring only the key sections. If the number goes beyond seven, use sub-categories to show them.

2. Log-in & Profile Screen

Creating personal accounts or profiles to sign into an app has become a standard norm these days. While this is a good way to ensure that your user gets a personalized experience, a lousy login screen could lead to people uninstalling your app. Designers must be able to understand how things work on login and profile screens. The key is to keep the login screen clear, uncluttered, and as minimalistic as it can be, to offer easy access to users. The amount of information has to be limited; otherwise, the profile screen may look too complicated. 

The UI must be intuitive, and at no point, users must be confused. The name and password sections, the confirmation button and a sign-up option must always be available on a login screen.

3. Product Screen

A product screen is most common in eCommerce apps. It displays the collection of products and when the user taps on the product they want, another screen displaying its specifications would pop up. 

The product screen shows the key information about the goods. It helps users to decide whether they want to buy the product or not. Designers usually place the product photograph at the center of the screen, with the description placed below it. The information is generally divided into small groups like size, material, weight, etc. so that users can get all the required info.

4. Catalog Screen

The primary objective of any e-commerce business is to sell products. For an e-commerce app, you would need a catalog screen to display all the products in one place. Visuals attract users and prompt them to make a purchase. So, designers must focus on designing a visually appealing catalog that will attract a user’s attention and encourage them to shop for a product. You can offer the user to scroll through the list, just like several other eCommerce websites and apps display it. The amount of merchandise/products in one row can be decided according to the width of the screen.

The product list in mobile apps can be similar to many e-commerce websites where the items are grouped and viewed via a vertical scroll. But, the products can also be displayed in a row with a horizontal scroll. To make the navigation intuitive, the last item in a horizontal row should be shown not in a full view to let the user see that this is the direction of scrolling. 

5. Check Out Screen

Nowadays, most of the shopping is done through smartphones. Therefore, it becomes crucial for companies to offer a smooth and convenient shopping experience to users. The checkout process is the final step during the buying journey of a user, and this has to be an easy task for them. 

The most fundamental aspect of a checkout screen is to have a form that captures all the personal data like name, address, contact number, card number, etc. Here, designers must ensure that their user data and sensitive information is secure. It can be callouts in a copy, icons of the famous brands who gave their approval or maybe even some certificate signs if there are such.

6. Splash Screen

The first impression may not be the last but is undoubtedly the most important impression. It influences the user’s opinion about a mobile application. When the user experience is pleasant from the very beginning of interactions with an app, there are more chances it’ll be more popular among users. That’s why splash screens should be given a lot of attention.

Splash Screen is the page in an app that demonstrates the main idea and features of the app. It must be minimalistic, displaying the logo, tagline, and name of a product. The fundamental elements must be kept in the middle of the screen for added visibility and a simplistic mobile UI design. The screen shouldn’t be shown for any more than 3-8 seconds. Users tend to get irritated after that. Also, it may be useful to show loading progress so that impatient users could know when the app will be launched.

7. Feed Screen

People typically use various social networking apps for communication and to remain updated with the news. You can take ideas from Facebook, wherein the feed is regularly refreshed, displaying the latest news and data related to the pages followed by the user. The mobile UI design should be simple and clear without a lot of fancy visual details. The stories can be presented one by one via a scroll. To make the navigation more intuitive, the next piece of news should be partially displayed.

We hope that these 7 most common UI screen designs will help you to get some clarity on how to get started with your app design. If you still have some doubts, talk to our experts NOW!!

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Mobile Apps Technology

Top 5 Reasons Why Users Uninstall Mobile Apps

Mobile Apps

The number of mobile apps available for users today is staggering. Daily use, shopping, health monitoring, entertainment, sports, lifestyle, gaming, and whatnot? There’s an app out there for every possible thing that you can think of. The competition between similar mobile apps is cut-throat. Day-by-day it is becoming difficult for businesses to survive and ensure that the users not only use their app but at least not uninstall it. So what is that makes users uninstall any mobile app?

In this article we explore the top five reasons why users stop using a particular app and uninstall it:

1. They No Longer Use The App

This one is pretty straightforward. Once users build the impression that the mobile app is of no use, they will surely uninstall it. Not that they find a better replacement, but the simple fact that they don’t need it any longer. This indicates that your user engagement and retention efforts are not adequate. If your DAU (Daily Active Users) to MAU (Monthly Active Users) ratio is declining, it means that the frequency at which the daily active users are returning is very less. These are early signs of a possible increase in app uninstalls.

TIP: Track retention rate metrics and user engagement to make adjustments to the re-engagement campaigns, such as push notifications and in-app messaging. But don’t overdo push notifications as it could adversely affect the mobile app’s popularity and success.

2. The Mobile App Isn’t Helpful and Easy To Use

People install an app to find solutions to their problems and get what they need in the fastest way possible. If it takes too much time to get what they want, they are unlikely to return to your mobile apps and will look for a better and faster option. Mostly, this happens because developers spend a lot of time thinking ‘what the users want in an app?’, rather than thinking upon ‘how the users want to use the app?’. 

TIP: Spend time thinking about how do users want to search for products or solutions in your app. What is the level of urgency? Do they want to buy the product right away, or wish to save it for the future. Run usability tests to understand user behavior. Conduct a question and answer session with test users to understand their purpose and goals. These insights, in combination with the data collected from analytic tools, will guide you in developing an easy to use and helpful app.

3. Too Many Ads and Push Notifications

A vast majority of the apps available come with a free version. People expect the apps to be free and resist paying the price to download them unless it’s really essential. The primary method of earning revenue for a free app is through advertisements. People have come to terms with the truth that there will be ads popping up while using the free version of the app. However, they have become much more sensitive towards the ads. This sensitivity is a result of invasive and aggressive advertising tactics.

Similarly, too many push notifications also annoy users. Forget about using your app regularly, they start disliking you as a brand; so much that they eventually decide to get rid of your app. Nobody likes constant nagging. 

TIP: For ads, consider how they will interrupt the user experience and work around it. Track conversion rates and reactions triggered by advertisements and push notifications. Also, use platforms that allow intent-based segmentation. With a better understanding of user intent, you can effectively show relevant ads without spamming them.

As far as the push notifications are concerned, it is best to use common sense and to know how often you must communicate with your customers. The frequency of sending push notifications varies; it largely depends on the type of campaigns you run and the products or services you offer.

4. Bad User Experience in Mobile Apps

It’s not just a visually pleasing design that keeps users hooked on to an app. Creating a good user experience is equally important. If the app is not designed keeping users in mind, it baffles the user. They find it hard to navigate within the app, struggle to find what they need. Sloppy navigation, lack of search functionality, poor use of icons, illegibility of typography, unresponsive gestures, etc. are all ingredients of poor user experience.

TIP: Always keep the users in mind before starting to develop the app. The app must be intuitive and easy to navigate within. At no point in time, the user must get stuck in the whole buying (or conversion) process. Your users must be able to reach their destination with minimum clicks. It’s pivotal to provide a search option in the app. The search should be intuitive and must be leading users by using a predictive keyword algorithm. 

5. Security and Trust issues

The Facebook data scandal was one of the biggest data scandals of recent times. It made people think about how various apps store their personal information and how vulnerable they are. They have begun to believe that their data can easily get into the wrong hands at some point in time. If they don’t trust your app, they will uninstall it.

TIP: Ask and store only the required information. Be transparent with users and explain exactly why you want this information, where will you save it, and how will you use it. Your users must feel safe using your app. They should be assured that they can trust you with their credit card number and other vital, personal information.

Read more about Mobile Apps security here

The customer is the king. It’s a fierce battle out there in the world of mobile apps, and you need to ace your game to stay in the game. Keeping users engaged, respecting sensitivity to advertisements, and performing adequate software testing are some of the ways to avoid app uninstalls. Need to know more? Talk to our experts now!

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Design Mobile Apps UX

5 Key Uses of Animation in Mobile App UI

Mobile App UI

The advancement of technology has led to several new improvements and trends in web and mobile designing. Animation was once a visual luxury but has now become a functional requirement. Users expect to face animations at some stage while browsing a website or an app. Animation infuses life into interfaces and makes them more rousing and visually appealing.  The proper use of animations accentuates the responsiveness of an app. In this article, we will discuss five critical applications of animation within a mobile app UI design.

Animation infuses life into interfaces and makes them more rousing and visually appealing.  The proper use of animations accentuates the responsiveness of an app. In this article, we will discuss five critical applications of animation within a mobile UI design.

1. System Status

There are plenty of tasks and processes like downloading and uploading data, calculations etc. that continuously run in the backdrop while the app is running. While these processes run in the background, users often feel that the app is frozen, as there is no activity at the front end. You must always indicate the status of all the ongoing processes through visual signs of progress. It provides a sense of control over the app to the users.

Page loading time is unavoidable, however, it is a very stressful time for users. Using animations can’t shorten the loading time, but can provide comfort to the users while they wait. Creative progress indicators can reduce a user’s perception of time. If users can watch something visually pleasing, while they wait, they are more likely to divert their mind on the animation, rather than the wait time.

Similarly, “pull down to refresh” is also a well-known system status indicator that reloads the page. Pull-to-refresh animations should match the design outline of the app. Movement and visually pleasing items naturally draw attention and create interest. Animating your notifications is a pleasant way to notify users about things, without hampering their experience.

2. Visual Feedback in Mobile App UI

Visual feedback is critically important for any user interface. It helps users to know and understand their current context in the system at any given time. User interface elements like buttons and controls should appear to be tangible, as they interact with them in the real world.

But, bridging the gap between the physical world and on the web is challenging. Visual and motion cues must immediately recognize the input and animate in ways that appear to be direct guidance. Animations enhance various points of interaction and reinforce the actions taken by a user.

3. Structuring Information

Animation allows proper structuring of information across the app. An animation draws users and shows what content to look for and where can it be found. The menu bar is one of the most common places where this can be implemented. 

There are many elements on the main screen of the app. When we activate one of them, the app should change the picture and display a whole new app section based on the selection. Animation helps users to know that it is the same element but with different form and scale.

4. Navigation & Transitions in Mobile App UI

Usually, users take the help of menu bar to navigate inside an app. A lot of apps have a complicated structure to show the list of app sections or features, which is confusing for users. Animation works as a visual navigator. 

A user should notice a changing picture on the screen while selecting or changing app sections. This lets them know that they are navigating to a different section or using a feature. Animation is a great way to transport users reasonably between navigational contexts. 

Read more about Mobile App Navigation

5. In-app Guide

Some apps have a more complex structure compared to others. If you don’t want to scare-off or irritate your app subscribers, you should clearly explain to them how an app works at the very beginning. Animation comes in handy here. A user gets brief instructions about the app in very less time via animations. Usually, an animated guide opens up when the app runs. However, users should have access to the guide whenever they need.

Animations are really pretty, but as mentioned earlier there role is no longer confined to adding beauty to an app. So make animations with purpose and use it in the app UI design to simplify user interaction with the user interface.

Let us know if you are looking for designing your new or existing mobile app. Our UI and UX team will be happy to assist. Contact Us today

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Technology

5 Factors To Consider While Linking A Payment Gateway With Your Mobile App

Payment Gateway

It’s astonishing how every possible day-to-do activity has shifted to mobiles from everything else. People including you and me cannot simply think about life without our mobile phones. From a task as basic as booking a cab to complex tasks like banking transactions or booking an abroad vacation, everything is taken care of by our little pocket superhero. According to a report, about 40 % of the orders received by business until the end of 2018 will be through mobiles. The impact of mobile apps is increasing every single day. Mobile apps have broadened their horizon in terms of the services that they offer. They have a huge array of services and products to offer, which leads to the need of collecting payments as well. That creates the need for a payment gateway.

Payments is a crucial step in the consumer journey and hence apps should ensure a seamless and advanced payment experience. There are a number of things to be considered before integrating a payment gateway with a mobile app. Here are a few important considerations listed for you.

1. The Integration Process Must Be Simple

The process of integration must be kept as simple as possible. Developer SDKs must be very easy and must take minimal developer time for integration. The updates should also be simple so that the merchants can handle it and that too without any major fuss. Keep the SDKs light so that they don’t eat a lot of space on user’s mobile. Large apps are more prone to get deleted by users. It’s quintessential that the SDKs provide support for your required platform and framework. Select a gateway that offers multi-platform and multi-framework support (like Android, iOS, Cordova, React Native, and Ionic.)

2. Maintain A Consistent UI

The UI offered by the payment gateway cannot be in contrast with your overall brand language. It should merge in and compliment your brand language. The payment process through the payment gateway must be a cake walk without any barriers or friction. Another important aspect to consider here is the total number of steps involved in the payment process. The less the merrier in this case. Prefer payment gateways that offer you customized checkouts that can include your brand logo, image etc.

3. Payment Received Communication

It’s always advisable to send payment confirmation communications through email or SMS to the customers. It boosts the trust of the customer and encourages them to use the payment gateway more often. The payment gateway has a direct and most updated status of the payments, thus they are the best people to send the most accurate status information. So choose a payment gateway that has the facility to send timely communications to customers.

4. Quick Payment Settlement Cycles

Customers are the king and their convenience comes before anything. Thus, quick payment cycles are a must. Moreover, quick payment cycles ensure smooth functioning of the business. A typical settlement ranges between a few days and utmost a week, depending on the size of your business and your business industry. Gather all the information regarding the settlement period from the payment gateway merchant to analyze if it suits your business model.

5. Comprehensive Customer Support

This is one of the key elements which often gets neglected while integrating a payment gateway. Customer support is crucial both during the integration process and handling post-integration payment related queries. A payment gateway must provide effective customer support through various means like chat, email, call etc. for all payment related queries. The support must not be restricted to merchants, but must be extended to the end users as well to address their queries in the shortest span of time.

Conclusion

Integrating with a suitable payment gateway is very important for the success of your business and brand. People drop into a different level of comfort zone when they glide through the overall payment process without any hassles or delays. The above-mentioned points are very handy while selecting a payment gateway for your mobile app. If you want to know more about the same, our experts will be more than happy to assist you.

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Technology

5 Mobile App Development Trends To Notice in 2018

Mobile App Development Trends 2018

We are in the last week of 2017 and what a great year it has been for mobile app development. Plenty of new app development trends surfaced and some of them have changed the mobile app development process forever. The popularity of mobile apps is increasing rapidly. The number of free app downloads has increased from 57.33 billion in 2012 to approximately 254 billion in 2017. This number is going to increase even further in 2018. So in this last blog piece of 2017, we have selected 5 mobile app trends that one must watch in 2018.

1. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)

Google launched AMP in Feb 2016 and since then the page loading on mobile apps has accelerated substantially. Besides the awesomeness of accelerated page loading speed, Google has also declared that it will provide a separate search index for the mobile web. This completely transforms the approach towards mobile app development in terms of SEO. Accelerated Mobile Pages will ensure that web apps load swiftly on mobile devices, thereby decreasing the bounce rate. Publishers will also be benefited as their ads will get more visibility which will eventually lead to higher traffic. AMP will lead to higher CTR, easy content placement, easy visitors analysis, and elimination of sitemap. With so many positives, AMP will surely be trending in 2018 and will impact the mobile development process.

Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Page)

2. Internet Of Things (IOT) & Wearable Apps

The concept of smart cities, smart offices and smart homes is growing like never before. IOT and wearable apps have become popular in a variety of sectors like health, education, automotive etc. Although it’s still in the growing phase, 2018 looks to be a promising year for the Internet of Things and wearable apps. Apple watch apps are already becoming quite popular and Google has also launched Android Things to pace up the acceptance of IOT. Experts predict a 33.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) by 2021. A rise in IOT directly impacts the mobile app development process as the devices are controlled by smartphones under IOT.

The Imminent Security Fiasco of IOT

3. Android Instant Apps

Android Instant Apps are native apps that function exactly like websites. They are very convenient to access and thus can attract a huge crowd. Android Instant Apps provide a seamless experience by fading all borders between an app and a website. Apps can be accessed from anywhere without actual installation. They are compatible with all the android versions clocking back till Jelly bean. It saves a lot of space on your smartphone as you don’t need to install unwanted apps. They are also easily shareable. The mobile app development process will definitely be impacted by the rise of these instant apps in the year 2018.

Android Instant Apps

4. Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality Apps

2017 has been a great year for AR and VR. AR and VR have found their way beyond gaming and entertainment. The growth trends have suggested a spike in demand of AR and VR not only for consumers but also for businesses seeking new technologies. Healthcare, retail, real estate, and engineering are the key industries which are more likely to continue the growth trend of Augmented Reality, whereas Virtual Reality will be driven by gaming and event industries. The future mobile apps will be developed hand in hand with AR and VR.

AugmentedVirtualReality

5. Lazy Loading

One of the biggest factor to increase bounce rate is the slow loading of a page. Often pages that contain high image content takes forever to load which irritates the user and forces him to bounce off. The industry experts have identified this threat and have developed the concept of Lazy Loading to address this issue. Under Lazy Loading, the images load only when their turn comes which quickens the page loading process and avoids overcrowding of the web page. Mobile app developers will surely need to implement lazy loading while developing apps in 2018.

Lazy Loading

Mobile app development has witnessed a huge change and advancement in the past few years. 2017 was a terrific year for mobile app development and the future looks very promising. The world of mobile technology is constantly changing and it’s very important for the app developers to keep themselves abreast of the latest trends. Implementing the latest trends in mobile app development will ensure that the app is updated and doesn’t get written off in the app market. Ask our expert app developers how you can create or modify your existing mobile app to match the latest trends.

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Technology

How To Recognize If a Mobile App Is Due For Major Update

Mobile App Updates
How To Recognize If Your Mobile App Is Due For A Major Update

The recent times have made us more dependant on our mobile phones than ever. There are so many daily jobs which are completed through our mobile phones, unlike the traditional ways. Smartphone users are no longer under the custody of storage limitations which has allowed them to download and use more and more apps. With so many apps being actively used, developers have a task at hand to keep their apps updated and in sync with latest trends. That’s why we see so many app upgrade notifications on our devices every day. But, what are the factors that motivate them to push an update?

There are 2 kinds of updates, a minor update, and a major update. A minor update consists of small changes, tweaks, bug fixes etc. Whereas a major update consists of a handful of new changes, a new user experience or an entirely new visual design. These updates are less frequent and there are certain factors which help in identifying the need for such an update. Let’s check them out!

1. Addition of An Important Feature

The most basic way to identify if it’s time for a major app update is by analyzing the features of the app. If you are planning to implement a major addition to the list of existing features which has a direct impact on the overall user experience, then that calls for a major update. These important features could be an addition of social media element, authentication and syncing features, new revenue model, third-party integration or other application-specific features.

2. Changing The Existing App Design

There’s no rocket science involved here. If you are planning to change the visual quotient of the app, you will need to go with a major update. The change could be in design terms, user interface or user experience. Changes related to scrolling patterns, color scheme, layouts etc. come under this umbrella. A change in the app design is quite a motivator for people to update the app.

3. A Deteriorating Codebase

The world of apps is a strange world and keeps updating every day. In terms of apps, even a 1-year-old codebase can be considered old. Technology is changing and updating at such a fast pace that an aging codebase becomes a big driver for rolling out a major update. There are often more than one hands involved in the development process which helps in a faster release. However, it also makes the code more complicated and hard to manage. If adding a new feature is a daunting task or if new libraries would make a feature easier to implement, you must look out for a major update or maybe even a completely rewritten code.

4. Poor Performing App Metrics

Reaching out to your target audience and proper management of key app metrics are very crucial to the success of any app. Underperforming app metrics like poor app ratings is a leading factor to roll out a major app update. Monitoring the app data can only provide you numbers. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. You might see that users are not returning back to your app on a regular basis or not visiting a particular screen. What it doesn’t tell you is that why are they not coming back? It’s essential that you use the insights from these numbers to understand the root cause of the problem. Also, talk to the real users and understand what they feel. Implement the required changes and push it through a major update.

5. App Not Able To Match Latest Design Trends

Sometimes it becomes absolutely necessary to change the design of the app. The design trends are updating every now and then to match the pace of changing technology. This forces the big guns like Google and Apple to define certain guidelines and rules in terms of app designs and you need to abide by them. Not following the latest design trends can be a big factor to push a major update.

Not following the latest design trends could include ignoring Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines or Google’s Material Design. It could also simply mean not living up to user’s expectation. If your app doesn’t look or function like other top apps, it won’t be on a lot of devices.

Releasing a major update gives you an opportunity to brightly shine among your users. You can implement big changes and give your app a complete makeover and upgrade. Even if everyone doesn’t notice the good work you do in the update, there would certainly be some important eyes which will notice it. Writers, analysts, power users etc. will definitely notice it and will appreciate your hard work and commitment towards your app. Lastly, never use the major update as a marketing gimmick. Stick to the above-mentioned factors and consider other important aspects before you decide to go for it.

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Technology

Looking For A Cheap App Development Agency? Think Again

App Development Agency

The popularity of mobile apps is scaling new heights with every passing day. Having a mobile app for your business has become almost mandatory. But with every new advancement in mobile technology, we hear about new heartbreaking stories of clients. In an attempt to save a few bucks, companies choose app development agencies that offer development at a low price. But is it a wise decision? The stats and experience of the industry experts beg to differ. This option will end up costing you more money, time and efforts eventually. Here are a few pointers showcasing the adverse effects of choosing a low price or cheap app development agency.

1. Wastage Of Time

Time is money and a wastage of time means wastage of money. A seasoned digital agency will have experienced players with years of industry experience. This enables them to understand your requirements quickly and they can deliver the end product much faster. Whereas, a low-cost digital agency will not be able to employ experienced staff. A less experienced or fresher app developer will apparently take more time which will increase your overall costing.

2. Lack of Facilities Resulting In A Low-Quality App

A cheap digital agency will always face budget constraints and that’s why they will always cut down wherever it’s possible. They will not have a highly experienced team, no access to premium tools, technological restrictions and even a not so great infrastructure. All these factors will affect the quality of your final product. A low-quality app will require a lot of changes, improvements, and advancements at a later stage which will require more money.

3. Low Ratings & Poor Reviews

The first impression is often the last impression. A user starts judging your app from the moment he downloads your app. As discussed in the previous point, a cheap app agency will end up making a low-quality app which definitely will not sit in the good books of customers. Users will thrash your app ratings and will write negative reviews as well. This will give you a double blow. You will not only lose customers who have installed your app, but the poor ratings and reviews will force potential users to look for alternatives.

4. No Provision Of App Maintenance

A cheap digital agency aims only at the initial development of an app. Their sole objective is to create the app and launch it for you. Very rarely they will provide the support and assistance required after the launch of the app. But, the real game only starts once the app is launched. They don’t spend the necessary time and efforts on testing the app in test and real-time environment which allow some bugs to sneak through the release process. This will result in crashing and improper functioning of the app and your app will die slowly.

5. Lack Of Effective Communication

A cheap digital agency will mostly be without any organizational structure. Most of the times there is not even a project manager or a SPOC with whom you can communicate properly. As a result, your expectations, suggestions, and limitations are not comprehended by the agency. This also results in missing the deadlines and redoing a particular task due to ineffective communication. The launch of your app keeps getting delayed and the cost continues inflating.

The purpose of this article is to make you understand one simple fact: ‘Cheap may not necessarily be the best always.’ Of course, cost saving is an essential aspect of any business. However, saving a few bucks in a short run by sacrificing the overall quality of your app is not a very bright choice. Also, you will end up paying much more eventually. So choose wisely! Discuss your mobile app development requirements with our experts who carry loads of industry experience and get the best solutions.

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Technology

How To Develop An Amazing Hotel Mobile App?

Amazing Hotel Mobile App

So you are all set to take a leap forward and develop a hotel mobile app for your hospitality brand or group in order to take advantage of the many benefits of mobile guest engagement. So what should be your next step? The next step is to figure out the way to develop the best hotel app not only for your organization but for your guests as well. Here are a few tips that will help you to create an awesome mobile app for a hotel or hospitality business.

1. Join Hands With A Right App Development Agency

It’s really critical to identify an appropriate app development agency which can cater to your development needs. This is a very crucial decision and thus must be executed with utter caution. Most hoteliers are not app developers and have limited knowledge of the requirements. Therefore, it’s important to surround yourself with experts who know what they’re doing, and who have hopefully gone through the steps before. There is a huge difference between developing a mobile app for the hospitality sector as compared to creating an app for any other industry. Find a third-party hotel app developer that can address your specific needs and answer your questions to boost your confidence.

2. Gather And Use Inputs From Multiple Departments

All the players need to contribute in order to make a team successful. Every department needs to contribute: Sales & Marketing, Hotel IT, Operations, etc. The best hotel apps serve multiple purposes for every aspect of a hospitality business. You aren’t investing money in your app to end up with something that will just sit in the app stores with your logo on it. Set meetings with department heads to discuss the app development.

Collect feedback, set goals and define roles. Who will be responsible for managing what aspects of the development process? Discuss and get answers for questions like who will gather all of the images necessary? Who will upload digital menu content? Who will proofread the copy? Everything must be fully organized in order to ensure maximum engagement with all members of hotel management and staff.

3. Keep A Margin To Grow

When you have a thought of launching your mobile app, you tend to read a lot about the same. You would learn about all the latest features of mobile apps and will dream to utilize it in your app as well. But you need to think logically about the scope of the project. Outline your immediate needs, your overall timeline, and your available resources. Talk about your requirements and get the feedback from the development agency.

Certain hotel app features take a lot more time to develop than you would expect. Features such as hotel mobile key to allow guests to use smartphones to open hotel room doors can be time-consuming because of the necessity to coordinate activity between multiple third-party hospitality technology vendors.
Understand the fact that you will not be able to launch your app with all the features that you wish. However, you’ll be able to scale up as time goes on. It’s best in your interest that you keep a scope of growth. You want an app that you can update and expand in the future as you come to learn and understand mobile technology for hotels more completely.

4. Think About Revenue

Mobile hotel apps can be a great source of additional revenue. Generating revenue through hotel technology is of great interest to most hoteliers, and it’s obvious you’d like to think you’ll be able to generate ROI from a hotel app.
But how do you generate revenue through a hotel app?
There are numerous ways actually, and you have to decide which is best for your hospitality business. Here are a few of them:

  • Hotel reservation booking
  • Direct marketing and advertising via mobile
  • Allowing mobile in-room dining orders
  • Enabling reservation booking at spas and restaurants

If you are looking to get an app for your hotel/ restaurant or any hospitality venture, get in touch with us. Our industry experts will love to know your requirements and will shape up the best app for you.