Apps have been taking up a lot of our time recently, so we’ve had the chance to explore just what makes apps appealing.
App mad
According to a study by MarketsandMarkets, the total global mobile applications market will be worth about $25 billion by 2015. That’s a lot of money. There’s no denying that people love apps and will probably continue to do so, but why? What makes those little things so darn good?
We’re a user-research led company, and in all the research we’ve done for our growing collection of apps we come across some basic facts. As with many companies who are in the app business, we’ve been learning very quickly. We started out running, with one very successful app suddenly launching us on the scene, and suddenly it seemed as if they were all we were doing. It was fun. It still is fun, and we’re still learning. We’ll probably still be learning in 5 years. It’s a new business, which has its huge advantages, but of course, it also has its disadvantages.
The difference an app makes
As with any design, there’s just no point in jumping in and designing something for the user that you think they need. No matter what you might think, you don’t use your site/product/service the same way your customers do, and the same applies for apps. You might think your customers have no problem with logging in every time with their email and yet another password, but trust us, they don’t. A 4 digit code is enough, and far easier for them to remember. Making sure your app is finely tuned to your customers is crucial. A bad experience with your app can have very negative effects on the perception of your brand, and furthermore, be the reason your customers neglect any future apps. The brand experience, what the app enables you to do, and how well it does that are of course closely intertwined. There is no room for apps that look cool but don’t have a meaningful impact in your life – even if that impact is just fun. All users are, naturally, newcomers to the apps market but they are still savvy, and there is little patience with empty shells and self-promoting, corporate talk.
Users are accustomed to interacting with brands bank through their laptop, but in the world of apps, there is much more freedom in regards to functions and interaction because everything is new – there are no common standards. That is both inspiring and demanding.
“Especially because of the opportunities in the Natural User Interface, or NUI, the user can interact directly with the app when they swipe or pinch the various features. Because of this, the user has a much richer and more engrossing experience with the app than with a website. Naturally this is a good thing when the app works well but when it doesn’t, the user’s bad experience is equally profound.” says Hans-Henrik Sørensen, Interactive Design Director.
They present attractive new ways for companies to interact with their users and to create value in a highly customised fashion, while remaining within strict guidelines for how the brand is shared with the world. One of the great things about apps from a developer point of view is that unlike websites, ads, posters – anything else – there are no real standards set. There is no typical place for certain buttons to be, or how layouts should be, or certain features that just have to be there. It’s still a fairly free field – of course, taking usability in to account!
They’re definitely a lean-forward technology (although iPad apps supports lean-back fairly well too), with new processes, new ideas, new functions and new features coming as we explore the possibilities of apps, although another important fact we’ve learnt is that simplicity is the key. When people use apps, what they use them for, why they use them – all situations call for ease and simplicity.
Our apps
Our successful apps have – so far – ranged from insurance apps to banking apps and medical apps. Our banking apps have (again so far!) been the most successful in the public market. Over the last 18 months we’ve developed apps for three major Danish banks; Danske Bank, Sydbank and Jyske Bank. They share similar functions, yet they are very different examples of how brand and functions come together to constitute a rich brand experience, the potential for customisation and the value proposition of the brand to the user.
“All three apps have received extremely enthusiastic and favorable reviews by the users. They are praised for their functions while also serving very different purposes from a brand perspective,” says Hans-Henrik Sørensen, Interactive Design Director.
The three banks have each chosen a different emphasis on the brand. Jyske Bank is the most brand-intensive of the three with Danske Bank in the middle and Sydbank as the least brand-intensive app. Sydbank has chosen instead to go all the way when it comes to the opportunities for the individual user to customise the app.
“One of the fascinating things about apps is how the functionalities and the brand experience work together and are woven together. The wheel, which we designed for Danske Bank, works well enough and we’re happy with it in that sense as well but the key thing about it is its iconic potential. It is instantly recognizable even if you just see a tiny fragment of it.”
Jyske Bank’s app corresponds very explicitly, even loudly, with the bank’s general brand and visual identity. The café, which is a prominent feature in Jyske Bank (customers in the bank can have a cup of coffee while they wait, or talk to their advisor), also plays a significant role in the app thus supporting the branding of the physical banks.
“That is an interesting example of how explicit about your brand you can be when it comes to apps. There are many, many different ways, many different possibilities. We have just scratched the surface and we continue to dig deeper.” says Hans-Henrik.
Related presentations
Check out a few of our app presentations below for more info.
This first presentation gives a great overview of app design, smartphone vs. tablets.
The second looks at what makes a good app - if you’re thinking about an app for your brand or business, what is it you should consider?
The third and final presentation examines business models surround apps - should you charge, or go for free?