Designing Native Apps on Multiple Platforms.

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:47:22 +0000

Designing Native Apps on multiple platforms can be a little tricky. Consider the following design techniques before initiating a mobile app project.

Each Platform has a different Standard Development Kit and User Interface Elements

User interface elements allow Android, iOS, Windows 8 and Blackberry 10 to differentiate from each other, therefore each operating system has different sets of layouts, input controls, input events, menus, actions bars, notifications etc. Since an apps user interface is everything the user can see and interact with it is important to consider the user interface controls and user interface elements on each platform when designing an app and the graphical user interface.

Navigation Is different on all platforms and must comply with Look and Feel guidelines

Android uses a physical back button, refer to the below image, therefore the navigation must be adapted accordingly. Unlike, iOS which uses a back button located in the top right corner of the navigation bar, Android apps must make use of the physical back button that is available at the bottom of Android devices. BB10 also has unique navigation requirements and must be customized for the Blackberry 10 platform.

Take a look a the placement of the back button. The back button is fixed on Android devices

Limit the amount of images for the user interface and use coding as much as possible

Many people think that when designing an app you can just create a hi-res image in photoshop and place the image within the app and use it for background images, buttons, navigation etc. Yes, that can be done, but it is always best to use coding to create a beautiful app, rather that bogging down an app with a bunch of navigation and images that are custom designed.

Transitions are different

Each standard development kit provides different screen transitions. Therefore each app must be adapted to each operating system. From a development standpoint, screen transitions can be custom coded, but it does not make sense to create custom transitions when they are built by the operating system and can be coded in to the app accordingly.

Take a look at these other great posts before you design a mobile App

Designing a Mobile App? Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes http://mashable.com/2012/04/11/mobile-app-design-tips/

Mobile design: Avoid these 4 common user experience fails http://venturebeat.com/2013/03/23/mobile-design-4-common-user-experience-fails/

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4 Reasons to Implement Paperless Tablet Solutions

admin — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:29:47 +0000

Tablets have become an incredible success within the consumer market, but have yet to be fully leveraged within the B2B sector. Why not leverage paperless tablet solutions? Think about the amount of trees we could save (Click here if you would like to donate to WWF Canada). Below are a few reasons small, medium and enterprise organizations should utilize mobile and tablets to go paperless and create measurable business metrics.

Naturally Inherited Skillset

Tablets utilize the same operating systems as smartphones, therefore the majority of employees will understand how to operate a tablet and minimal training will be required. Currently the majority of smartphone users in Canada and the US are either on Google Android or Apple iOS, with the majority of users user iPhone and Samsung hardware.

Take a look at these great Articles related to the Smartphone Market to get a better understanding of the mobile landscape:

comScore: “Smartphone penetration has reached 45% of the Canadian mobile market”

http://mobilesyrup.com/2012/03/01/comscore-smartphone-penetration-has-reached-45-of-the-canadian-mobile-market/

comScore: Android now has 40% smartphone market share in Canada

http://mobilesyrup.com/2013/03/04/comscore-android-now-has-40-smartphone-market-share-in-canada/

Media Documentation

Filling out a description of a problem accurately and precisely can take a great deal of time. Luckily, tablets are armed with cameras and video capture that can be built into a custom form or data capture system. This allows organizations to improve documentation and reduce liability. For example, a foremen on a large construction site or in the Fort McMurray oil fields can document an injury to field staff, a malfunction with a gasket,

No Connection Required

Anecdotally, all tablet data capture and forms should be developed to run specifically off the device it is programmed for. Therefore native mobile software should be used rather than browser based solutions. Unlike browser based solutions, native software is programmed to run of the device rather than the web, which allows the application to capture and store data without a Internet connection.

Ability to Lockdown the Tablet Device

Organizations that require a field force team to utilize the tablets can easily request a mobile developer to lock down the device. This will prevent users from entering any other applications, meaning that the use will only have access to the paperless data capture system and not be able to access social networks, email, or browsers.

Follow @drewthachuk

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The Must Have News Reader App for iOS Android BB10 …hopefully

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:45:18 +0000

Reverb Strategy is a mobile and digital strategy firm, based in Burlington, Ontario that focuses on leveraging new media and technology to help enterprise and SMB’s solve problems with innovative solutions. Interested in a iOS Android BB10 project? Let’s Chat

The majority of people love reading today’s popular blogs and some may argue that they provide higher quality content than many of today’s traditional media providers. Although blogs offer excellent written material, they require a significant amount of browsing because the content is extremely fragmented, due to the focused nature of many popular blogs. Thankfully the developers from Alphonso Labs created an incredible app which aggregates some of the world wide webs top blog into a intuitive, user friendly mobile user interface. Below highlights what separates Pulse News Reader from the mass amount of news readers available

Content, Content, Content Ohhh and did I mention Content

Content rules the digital world, especially when it comes down to creating a competitive advantage. Pulse has managed to aggregate some of the worlds best content into one simple to use application. They recently released an updated version, which included a redesign and multiple new sources. Pulse offers everything from food to politics and I am sure that everyone will be able to cater the content to their needs. The great thing about pulse is that it provides the mainstream content alongside the more obscure and niche blogs that many people may not have stumbled across.

Customization, Caters to Every Audience

Unlike traditional media, which dictates the content provided, Pulse allows the user to customize their experience. A la carte media consumption is a new trend and the pulse app has perfected how to deliver it to their users.

Available blogs via Pulse:

Read Pulse on all of your gadgets

The Slick User Interface and Immersive User Experience

Many newsreaders are available through various app stores but lack the user friendly interface that pulse provides. It is pretty hard to ignore the amazing look and feel of the application. All you have to do is download it to see what kind of experience it delivers

“Adding to Favorites” is Seamless

Since the application is downloaded to your device or you are logged in to an account “adding to favorites” is incredibly easy. If you are anything like me, you come across articles that you want to read but may not be in the right mindset. Pulse is great for the “read later” type!

Socially Integrated

Lately, I have been on a big twitter binge, so naturally I am constantly looking for relevant content. Pulse allows users to sign-in with their social profiles and share from within the app. There is nothing worse than having a great app that isn’t social…luckily Pulse gets it.

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Highlights from Qualcom Keynote at The Consumer Electronics Show 2013

admin — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 20:21:53 +0000

Take a look at this great video, the beginning act is a little cheesy, the rest is great. Let me know what you think of the highlights from the Qualcom Keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show

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INFOGRAPHIC: Getting Social in the Supermarket

admin — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:47:28 +0000

Getting Social in the Supermarket infographic by thisisTAMBA.

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Innovative “Geo-Fencing and GPS Alert” Push Messaging Marketing Tactics

admin — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:49:00 +0000

GPS and Geo-Location

Geo-location has become an integral part of native mobile application development. Tourism boards can utilize GPS to provide an immersive experience where users can locate and get turn by turn directions to area points of interest. Since a native application is utilizing the capabilities of the device, the experience is quicker, more efficient and leaves the user with a positive brand image.

For Example, A Tourism Board can provide a map view and locations of all of the point of interest

Restaurants
Nature Trails
Night Life
Local Theater, Sports, and Events

Camera API and Photo Upload

Tourists love to take pictures. Therefore incorporating a camera function within a tourism based application can be very powerful. Tourism boards can run contests and engage users simply by incorporating an existing function into a branded application.

For example, a visitor is in town for a wildlife adventure, and suddenly comes across a unique animal; the user snaps a picture using the camera function within the application or the application provided by the device. The user can upload the picture to the mobile application and “photostamp” the bottom right corner of the image with a catch phrase and logo i.e. “Saw this in the Yukon…YUKON TOURISM”. The user can then upload the photo directly to their social networks.

THAT IS A VERY POWERFUL MARKETING TOOL!!!!!!!

Push/Pull Messaging

The user visits a destination and downloads a tourism mobile application. They had a great time but they return home to their job and day to day routine. Fortunately, since the user downloaded the application, they invited the tourism board into their pocket, living room and workplace because the application is running off their device. The Tourism Board marketing team can now have a direct mobile marketing opportunity.

For Example, The Tourism Board can send push notifications to users of the application that update them about upcoming events. The push message could have a question embedded, such as “Are you attending the Jazz Festival this June?” The Tourism Board can than pull information and obtain data from users of the application

Media Rich Advertising

Native apps provide a more powerful ad delivery system than web based apps. When clicked, banner ads offer a rich user experience. Essentially, native based ads are separate apps that run in the background of native mobile apps. Therefore, native based ads provide audio, video and visual feedback that far surpasses web based ads. The aforementioned capabilities provide an excellent platform to promote local businesses and points of interest, which stimulates economic development.

- See more at: http://www.floatpoint.com/blog/#sthash.Jn1gQTDJ.dpuf

This was originally published at floatpoint.com/blog

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