Mobile Based Apps (Essay Sample)

Mobile Based Apps
Introduction
Also referred to as the fifth generation wave of information technology, mobile computing has proved to have a significant impact as well as adoption as compared to any previous cycles. Mobile based application has significantly changed the manner with which people tend to communicate and consume information. This has resulted in an exponential rise with regards to acceptance, adoption as well as data usage (Ludwig, 2012).
Effectiveness and efficiency
Through this system, a variety of objects that were at one point held in pockets; including bills, tickets, and newspapers now can be found on tablets, smartphones as well as mobile apps. For this reason, people can be said to be `wrapped' in the software, which has transformed industries. The convergence of business information and analytics with mobile technology has also empowered many more people to take action and thus make decisions and any given time.
With regards to business information, mobile apps have ben shown to provide a delivery system that is perfect. With the perfect storm of a variety of powerful mobile devices, touch based interfaces, fast networks and a focus on the useable app design, a better method of sharing data with the masses has been presented, which is much easier, faster and effective.
Initially, geolocation was simply limited to content delivery networks and was used for advertisements. However, the accuracy of this technology has increased and there are today more use cases for location based networking than before. Although advertisements and performance related implementations are still in place and valid, the enforcement o location based access restrictions as well as context aware security is also increasingly becoming significant particularly among the ever increasingly mobile users. With high accuracy of geolocation data, the technology has been taken advantage of to be used across a broader set of functions which depend on having access to accurate information. There are a number of advantages with the incorporation of geolocation data in to a mobile and web applications (Ludwig, 2012). These include
A more precisely target in- apps ads- for the marketer and consumer, locally targeted ads would make for a better app experience. For consumers, the apps experience would feel less spammy since they are being advertised things that are only local and relevant to them. For the marketer, this would mean a high click through rates since consumers are going through a discovery process of local services and goods.
Supplement behavioral data- by capturing location based data and combining it with one' behavioral data, understanding activities users are experiencing with the app could mean a combined effort to segment the users.
With the new mobile apps, three core capabilities are combined including;
Business intelligence- this is the capability to include images such figures such as grids and graphs reports, data visualizations accessible from a mobile device as well as dashboards.
Transactions- the capability of transactions helps executives as well others to instantly transverse from their business insight and directly to business action through data entry, adjusting forecasts, requests approval, uploading photos and adding comments among others without the need to go back to the desktop (Ludwig, 2012).
With the ear of mobile computing already here, data has been made available from anywhere and virtually on a majority of devices. For instance, a salesperson can now interact with customers in any given location be it from an auto showroom to their homes. With a device and an app which connects to core systems, they can input more accurate information that it’s also timely as they even walk away from a concluded client interaction.
With the apps, industries can keep in contact with their customers; learn the trends of their customers’ preferences in addition to receiving feedbacks from the consumers in a timely fashion. Moreover, another advantage of these apps is the fact that they are automatically updated with the latest consent from both the external and internal sources. This means that for the users, mobile devices tend to be automatically updated with the latest versions of a range of materials. This proves the effectiveness and efficiency of mobile applications in providing capture geolocation data and customer data quick upload without the need to use the desktop system.
With apps such as the Playstore and drive customers are able to get the latest updates of software, directions among others. Through nationwide mobile, a consumer can upload any information to file claims on the spot instead of having to wait and do it after a week or so. This shows how effective the system have proved to be to all its users.
Benefits realized by consumers
Through advancements in mobile applications, customers have continually benefited due to the ability to gain access to their own data through these applications. Convenience is one of the ways in which people have benefited with regards to mobile based apps and mobile computing. In the past few years, there has been a tremendous shift on how consumers have been receiving their information and data through online media. Many more companies are taking the internet to the direction of mobile force considering that a majority of people today are accessing their data through such means.
Mobile apps are now being used more as compared to traditional websites. As many companies and organizations such as Facebook, Nokia and Microsoft have come to realize, new mobile internet are more effective, and this is one of the main reason as to why they are now testing new revenue strategies for the consumers that search and download mobile applications on iPods, iPhones, android phones and window mobile phones among others (Ludwig, 2012).
Today, the consumers have access to millions of mobile apps, which are driving the sales of mobile devices. With the millions of mobile apps, customers no longer need to log in through the desktop, but can simply access their information and their data through the cell phones wherever they may be, that is convenient for them.
While they have access to internet, they can instantly access new incoming emails, new messages from apps such as Whatsapp, and new messages on Facebook through the Fb app.
Through mobile email, consumers have the freedom to communicate quickly and effectively with anyone through the internet. This is one of the most cost effective and efficient method of transmitting all types of electronic data and has become indispensable to professionals. Some of the other benefits include;
* Greater responsiveness,
* Improved work life balance,
* Increased utilization of existing it investments,
* The ability to leverage the existing devices for multiple wireless solutions,
The other benefit that the consumers can benefit from is from the fact that they can get up to date data and information through these apps. Every consumer wants fast hand information to be able to make decisions. Apps on the mobile phones will enable this, which in turn results in the ability to make timely decisions.
On the other hand, these apps are beneficial to the customer since they tend to reduce cost of accessing such data. Given that time is saved, and consumers can make appropriate decisions, they get to spend less as compared to the amount they would have used on traditional websites. This is due to the fact that with every new and incoming data, the consumer is updated, and does not have to waste time browsing through the desktop system to find nothing of great significance.
Today, there are also some apps that help consumers with products, services offered among others. Banks, businesses etc. can send information to their customers and inform them of anything that concerns them. On the other hand, such apps have also found their way to other sectors such as the healthcare sectors, where mobile apps are being used to check on the patients progress. Consumers can check on their data and how they are progressing at any given time without having to book for appointments etc.
The other benefit of the ability to access data using such apps is the fact that the customer can feel safe given that any details or unauthorized logging in or accessing in be stopped immediately. This sis due to the fact that there are apps that raise an alert in cases where there has been an illegal log in or access to unauthorized data or information. In this case, the customer is alerted immediately allowing them to take necessary steps.
With mobile on, the customers can always have always on, always available rich data capture in real time including; numbers, photos, signatures, GPS locations and even text. This way, data visibility is increased to key decision making without the need to be in the field. Working offline is also enabled by these apps. This way, the customer/ user does not need to be online to collect data.
Challenges
The small screen size is one of the most common challenges when it comes to developing applications that run on mobile. Complex and dense mobile applications can be highly difficult to read as well as navigate on the mobile device. Actual dimensions are significant when it comes to dealing with the mobile devices. They are an issue because a majority of web sites have ben designed to be viewed on desktop size displays.
Their page layout tens to assume that a user can view a large portion of a page at once. As a result of space limitations, developers have several problems when targeting mobile devices. They include;
Graphics limitations- although graphics tend to be an excellent way to spice up a web site. However, their use tends to be questionable when a user is working with a small screen. Moreover, a majority of ...