The Medium is the Message

Think about the the last time you shopped for furniture or clothing (or anything, for that matter) on your mobile device and the app you used was an interactive embodiment of the merchant’s brand, with a truly unique look and feel. Recall how the app seemed to flow naturally and intuitively and how you couldn’t wait to show it to your friends.

Can’t remember that time? Has it ever happened? What a shame.

Apps present us with  a rare opportunity to connect with our audience on an intimate level. Apps get carried around in purses and in pockets. They get brought to bed, to kids sports events, to the pub, the waiting room and into the car (if you are reading this as you drive, stop it).

An app that does not connect with its audience, that does not project your brand or is not easy and enjoyable to use is a missed opportunity.  If your app looks just like everyone else’s, what message are you sending?

Content is Half of the Equation

Getting your content online and onto an app has never been easier. There are many platforms and canned solutions available that allow you to quickly create catalogues, store fronts, tour guides and information portals.  We have used them here at Flick to deploy all sorts of apps. These platforms typically offer some degree of customization but, fundamentally, they don’t give you an app that looks much different than a web site. In fact, you often end up with something that looks just like you competitor’s website/app and, let’s face it, that’s often a pretty mundane user experience.

Users may grudgingly use your freakin’ boring/ugly/painful app if the content is great and there is no alternative,  but they will drop you like yesterday’s iPhone the second something shinier comes along that offers similar functionality.

The user experience is now paramount.  Content and functionality are just table stakes.

Designer Apps

I think we have established that apps with a designer user experience have greater potential to attract and retain users (you probably didn’t need convincing). So what are the factors that define a great designer app? Here are a few:

• The user experience is designed by designers, artists and UX specialists – not software developers (my undergrad is in computer science so I can say this)
• The design is translated into software (appearance, motion, behaviour) exactly as designed with nothing lost in translation
• All motion is fluid, natural and responsive (i.e. high performance graphics are critical)
• On-screen metaphors are consistent with the subject matter being presented and are intuitive
• Gestures/inputs feel natural
• Everything about the UX is consistent with the overall brand

Designer apps are almost always graphics intensive and, by their nature, they don’t typically use native UI components or third party widget libraries.  The upshot of this is that designer apps must typically be hand coded…and that has it’s challenges.

The Pitfalls of Hand Coded  UX

Freakin’ Awesome App Technology

Underpinning our Freakin’ Awesome initiative is a novel technology platform that addresses the pitfalls listed above. Here is the 40,000 foot overview of how Freakin’ Awesome apps are made:

The end result is a custom designer app that can go from initial design to deployable in less than 1/10 the time it would take to hand code….if you could successfully hand code it at all. That’s freakin’ awesome! It opens up a world of possibilities for apps with user experiences we have only started to dream up.

In looking at the numbers, there are a couple of key take-aways:

• The popular BB models and OS’s are different  in different geographic markets
• More than 50% of all downloads are covered by the top 3 models
• OS 5 and 6 still make up more than half of all downloads with 7 taking third place
• OS 4.x is fading fast with less than 6% of all downloads

Here is a graph showing the top models globally.

Here’s the same graph for North America

Things to keep in mind when using this data:

• This information was captured between Dec 1, 2011 and Feb 13,  2012
• The apps represented in this data are available globally
• The apps are in English only and have both French and English descriptions in App World
• These apps are puzzle games – results may vary for different app genres

Of course, we expect to see this data shift over time as the march toward newer OS versions and devices carries on. More updates to come.

- Peter O’Blenis @peteroblenis

Does your company sell physical products through an outside sales force? If it does, chances are your sales folks are lugging around trunk-loads of product samples, catalogs, order sheets and demo gear to prospective customer sites.  This is how outside sales have been done for over 80 years and it’s a process that works – more or less.

There are some obvious drawbacks to arming sales people with vast amounts of physical materials as part of the pre-sales process:

• Demo materials and product samples may not be inherently portable. If your company sells industrial fittings, for example, how much product can your sales person carry? How much paper is needed to catalogue your entire product line? Do your folks end up carrying only a subset of your product line for practical reasons?
• Demo materials and samples may go out of date quickly, requiring regular redeployment to the sales force. This is why, for example, you don’t typically see pricing in product catalogs. They are often just too dynamic to risk including them in an expensive paper catalog. Another example is discontinued product – asking yours sale team to flip to page 273 and rip out swatch #78892 every few weeks is not feasible and you just know you’ll get an order for that SKU a few months after discontinuation because your sales team is working from an outdated catalog.
• Demo materials cost money. Sample product, catalogs and brochures aren’t free, nor is their distribution.

These are all very real issues that can hinder the sales process.  The good news is that mobile technology offers a variety of ways to ease the pain.

At Flick, we have been asked to build an increasing number of mobile apps targeted directly and improving the selling process.  Deployed primarily on iPads, these apps are carried by sales reps to customer sites in place of some, or all, of the physical stuff they used to carry.  Here’s a smattering of what’s going into these apps:

1. Product Catalog: Increasingly, firms are putting their entire product catalog onto an app. That means being able to carry the entire line, and all data and materials associated with it, on a 9.5×7.3 inch tablet.   The app updates itself by synchronizing directly with the back office sales system to ensure the catalog is always current.
2. Sample Ordering: Sometimes a picture of the product is not enough. Some apps are integrating shopping cart functionality to allow reps to order the samples that they need while they are still interacting with the customer. This means that only the physical samples that the customer is interested in are being produced and shipped, and they are getting there in a timely fashion.
3. Quoting: Some apps combine catalog information and customer requirements to allow the sales rep to produce complete quotes while still at the customer site. These can then be automatically synchronized with the firm’s back-office CRM system.
4. Sales Ordering: All of the paperwork associated with the ordering of product can be built right into the app. The integration of the product catalog makes this process faster and less error prone.
5. Custom configurators: It can often be difficult to envision what the final product will look/operate like when actually delivered. Configuration tools allow the users to model how the various products will look, behave and/or operate in the real world. This helps to reduce errors in ordering and to improve customer satisfaction.

There are, of course, many more things that can go into a mobile sales app but the list highlights some of the more common features.  The ultimate test for mobile sales apps is their impact on sales and on margin. The early feedback that we have been receiving is that they impact both in a favourable way, as well as providing the less tangible but important benefits of a happier, more mobile sales force and an improved presales experience for the customer.

There will always be a place for physical samples but, hopefully, the days of back-breaking catalogs and demo gear are finally drawing to a close.

- Peter O’Blenis @peteroblenis

The National Institute for Standards and Technology defines cloud computing as follows: Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction (http://www.nist.gov/customcf/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909024).

The cloud model is composed of three service models.

Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS). Hosted software services running on a cloud infrastructure.

Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). Cloud-based platform where users can deploy and run applications designed for the hosting platform.

Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The provisioning of processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications.   This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics that include On-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service.These characteristics could benifit business in the ways of cost-saving, opportunity to focus on core competency rather than IT and mobilization of workforce.

Thank you for participating in the Beta!

Flick Labs is Flick Software’s experimental playroom. It is where our engineers can take time out from their day jobs to experiment with new and interesting technologies.

About a year and a half ago, the team started experimenting with a tile game platform that could be adapted for every major mobile platform. This project ultimately resulted in Number Cruncher; a tile game that went to the top of the mobile game charts with over 3 million downloads.

Many of the folks on the team have been looking for an excuse to build the next version of Number Cruncher and it now looks like they have found it: BlackBerry’s BBM 6.0.

The idea was to use the BBM SDK in some novel ways that could ultimately solve real-world business problems. The application that the team homed in on was using BBM for machine-to-machine communication.

Number Cruncher 2.0 (that’s the super-secret codename) will use BBM in some pretty unconventional ways and the result will be, we think, a pretty unconventional game experience. Sure, BBM will be used to allow players to transmit their high scores to friends, but that’s pretty standard. What is truly cool is that the game will use BBM to send live two-way data to facilitate head-to-head play!

• Here are some examples of what I am talking about:
• Allowing you to invite a friend to a head-to-head game
• Sending a starting “board” to the second player so that both players start with the same set of tiles
• Displaying the scores of both players in real time

-          And here’s where it gets interesting….allowing players to fire weapons at their opponent’s board to slow them down. Yep, a tile game with weaponry!

When I last checked in, the team was still testing some of the finer aspects of the game but they tell me it will be released in October to the general public. The result should be a great experience with the BBM SDK for the team and a fun new game for the rest of us. I, for one, can’t wait!

- Peter O’Blenis @peteroblenis

They say that an application, no matter how well it’s implemented, can only ever be as good as its design. Well, at Flick we buy into this mantra. Developers are very good at building to spec (ours are exceptional), but you really need to have a spec to ensure quality results.

For years Flick has worked closely with external design groups to help craft mobile solutions that are acutely tuned to actual business requirements. There are occasions, however, when it can make sense to bring UX design work in-house. To that end, Flick has announced the availability of end-to-end UX design services as part of its service portfolio.

As of this September, customers have the option of sourcing both UX design and solution implementation directly from Flick. By offering a dedicated and experienced UX team in-house, Flick offers the follow potential advantages:

• Faster delivery for project on tight deadlines
• Cost effective UX design, even for small projects
• A single point of contact across the project lifecycle

So what about the great UX firms that Flick currently works with?  Recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and that many design firms have unique skill sets, Flick will continue to work enthusiastically with high quality outside design firms to deliver outstanding results.

Want to learn more about Flick’s UX design offerings? Please visit: http://flicksoftware.com/services-2/user-experience-design/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 7, 2011 Ottawa, Ontario – Flick Software Inc is pleased to announce the addition of comprehensive user experience (UX) design services to the company’s service portfolio. The UX offerings incorporate a robust design methodology that helps create experiences that are easy to use, engaging and differentiated. The services allow the Flick Software to offer a single-source option to customers requiring UX design for their customized mobile business solutions.

New UX design services available from Flick Software include User Experience and Interaction Design, Visual Design, UI Standards and Design Guides, and Business Case and Roadmap Development.

“For us, UX design was the final piece of the puzzle,” said Jason Flick, President, Flick Software. “We are excited to be offering UX design services to our customers and providing them with an end-to-end service option for their projects.”

The addition of UX design services is part of Flick Software’s expansion strategy following two years of sustained high growth. The company is offering UX design services both as a stand-alone service and as an extension of its mobile business solution development services.

About Flick Software Inc.

Founded in 2003, Flick Software specializes in customized mobile business solutions. The company helps organizations extend critical corporate applications and data beyond their office walls through the use of integrated mobile applications. Flick Software also helps companies extend and enhance their own products and services through the incorporation of custom mobile applications.

Flick Software develops customized mobile business solutions for every major mobile platform, including iOS, Blackberry, Android and Windows Mobile operating systems.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 7, 2011 Ottawa, Ontario – Flick Software Inc is pleased to announce the addition of comprehensive user experience (UX) design services to the company’s service portfolio. The UX offerings incorporate a robust design methodology that helps create experiences that are easy to use, engaging and differentiated. The services allow the Flick Software to offer a single-source option to customers requiring UX design for their customized mobile business solutions.

New UX design services available from Flick Software include User Experience and Interaction Design, Visual Design, UI Standards and Design Guides, and Business Case and Roadmap Development.

“For us, UX design was the final piece of the puzzle,” said Jason Flick, President, Flick Software. “We are excited to be offering UX design services to our customers and providing them with an end-to-end service option for their projects.”

The addition of UX design services is part of Flick Software’s expansion strategy following two years of sustained high growth. The company is offering UX design services both as a stand-alone service and as an extension of its mobile business solution development services.

About Flick Software Inc.

Founded in 2003, Flick Software specializes in customized mobile business solutions. The company helps organizations extend critical corporate applications and data beyond their office walls through the use of integrated mobile applications. Flick Software also helps companies extend and enhance their own products and services through the incorporation of custom mobile applications.

Flick Software develops customized mobile business solutions for every major mobile platform, including iOS, Blackberry, Android and Windows Mobile operating systems.

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When I first looked at the AppFabric SDK and samples, I thought wow, this is a serious message queue – it supports reliable message delivery and publish-subscribe delivery model. But a closer look reveals that it still lacks support for mobile usage. Here are the key deficiencies

- Reliable message delivery: Once the message is pushed into the cloud, it will be saved and delivery to destination is guaranteed. But we can’t assume a reliable wireless connection for the mobile device all the time. So what if a mobile app wants to send a message into the queue but can’t due to the lack of connectivity?  We can work around this by caching messages locally on the device. As the diagram shows below, the messaging client writes the messages into the local storage when AppFabric is not accessible and read the cached messages from the local storage and send them to the AppFabric queues
- Cross-platform support: The samples in the SDK include a Phone 7 chat app that demonstrates the exchange of messages through service bus. But there are no iPhone and Android library/samples that use the AppFabric so far. This is something that will need to be corrected soon.

It will be interesting to see how Microsoft will enhance the AppFabric Service Bus for different mobile OS and see how enterprise mobile apps will utilize the queue to do backend integration.