Learning from
application success
By
Christoffer Andersson (christoffer@wirelessdevnet.com)
Being part of the preparations for the 2003 Mobile Application Awards I have
seen lots of discussions emerge around what it is that really defines a
successful application. This is of course very interesting, but even more
important is how we all can learn from the most successful applications and
related companies. In this article we will look at some examples of this -
trying to spread this important knowledge.
First of all it should of course be noted that one cannot get close to showing
all the aspects of application development and marketing in one article, but my
hope is that these aspects will both inspire and also trigger you to share your
experiences with others. Drop me a line and tell me what you think! A small
comment on terminology: in this text I try to be consistent and use the word
application when describing the things that developers produce for their
customers. It can be a downloadable travel guide written in Java or the
MobileHits site with music content and services.
Let’s start with the planning phase of building an application. Very often this
phase is cut short and everyone is eager to get down to business and start
programming/designing. I have seen some really bad examples of how lack of
planning can hurt an otherwise successful idea. Take the aspect of handsets.
What handsets will the application run on and what is the penetration of those
handsets? If you are targeting a market segment of 15-25 year olds it is
worthwhile checking what handsets they have. The first impulse might then be to
ask the operators about this but too often they do not know. You are probably
better off checking some reports from analysts, like Gartner.
Another part of the planning phase is to plan for how the application should be
tested and by whom. Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola have an interest in securing
that things work when released to the market and can help you with test tools
and processes. Check out their developer programs to get help and inspiration.
Start the testing earlier than you think! With the testing you will verify
things like how the application looks on different devices, how it performs in
different radio conditions and last but not least its usability. For the
usability testing I have seen very good examples of working with user groups. It
could be just some 20 people that fit the description of you target group that
you interview after they have tried using your applications. This is an
extremely useful (and very entertaining) way of getting instant feedback. You
will quickly realize the gap between the perception of your own crew and the
general consumer out there. Expect the unexpected. In one group that I listened
in on where they discussed the service package from an Operator the following
comment was stated: ‘Why I bought the phone with this package? I wanted to show
that I am a cool chick’. Inviting these kind of audiences to test your products
will also give a very strong usability focus in the development, which is
crucial. The relation between technical aspects, like response times, and user
experience will be obvious. Too many development teams spend days optimizing
some algorithm or adding content just to ignore the fact that it would take 10
minutes to fix the top two usability flaws that lowers user satisfaction.
Having done the planning and getting things together that start to look like an
appealing offering, an important question arises around how this application
should be brought to the attention of the eager masses. Beyond the basics of
being visible on your webpage you are likely to want to get the attention of a
few good operators to get you out there. Being in iMode or Vodafone Live
certainly gives you good visibility and attention from your potential customers,
but are there in addition other ways to go? First of all this of course depends
on the kind of application you are offering. If it is downloadable software,
like a Java game or similar, you can aim for being part of device manufacturers
offerings. Getting into a handset is hard work, however, and means long cycles.
It should be noted, however, that it is not as tough to become a second tier
provider for a handset and get included on the CD that goes with it. In
addition, you will find good friends in the ones who have developed the
operating system that you are addressing, like
Symbian. What other
ways are there to reach consumers? Other media channels, like TV and newspapers
are commonly used to market ring-tones, logos and games. Especially the
collaboration with TV has shown to have large impact on the penetration. An
example is
Globalmouth, which provides a service where sports
stars and others call their fans (say Tiger Woods would call his fans and giving
his inside comments after winning the US Open). Globalmouth uses premium SMS
billing and markets the service via TV: ‘Vote for the man of the match and he
will call you afterwards as a bonus’. This is a win-win situation also for the
TV companies, who really understands this kind of business. Here the developer
is not at all dependent on the operator for marketing of the service.
Ki-Bi is
another creative example on new ways to reach the audience. Basically it builds
on people’s need to touch and feel the things that they desire. As an example,
it is easier to feel desire for a nice DVD box on the shelf than a movie on
demand. The Ki-Bi concept is based on the scenario that users can buy the
applications in any store, just like kids buy collectors cards today. The
difference with the Ki-Bi cards is that they can be connected to your mobile
phone and give you downloadable games, ring tones and other applications. This
means that grandma can buy the David Beckham card to her grandson without having
a clue about how the technology works.
Having achieved your first milestones and the application is out there with
people starting to see the value of it (and hopefully paying for it), what is
next? Of course, for many there is a need to look for the next application and
then the next one, but here I want to emphasize the importance of also
maintaining the applications you have out there. If you are in the content
business then it is obvious that you have to ensure you are adding new things
and making it feel alive, constantly reinforcing the value. If you, on the other
hand, have developed a Java application or something else that feels like a
finished product, it might feel like the job is done when it hits the consumers
and starts generating revenue. This might not be the case. First of all I would
like to use my favorite Japanese expression and stress the importance of Kaizen.
Kaizen means continuous, small improvements and is one of the foundations in the
offerings from Japanese developers and operators. As an example, a fishing
application started out very simple with just the top places to go and text
directions. Then images were added and later color and more interactivity and
downloadable fishing games. When asked what their 3G applications would be their
answer was ‘the same, but with bigger images and some video’. People will not
wake up one morning and suddenly feel a need for something far away from what
they desired yesterday. All built around doing something pretty ok, then
improving it, getting feedback, improving it again. While this might sound like
the most obvious thing it is amazing to see how much we lack this approach in
Europe and the US. It is too easy to get focused on the next big thing, trying
to make a big bang out of it.
A related concept that I strongly recommend is to think about is the Application
Heartbeat, a concept that for example Vodafone Live uses. That means keeping the
users interested in your offerings long after they first got acquainted to it.
Again, this is more natural for a web/wap based service than a downloadable
application but even for the latter it is crucial. Say that you are in the
mobile games business. Then you can view this in two ways: Either you consider
your whole suite of games the means for keeping the users interested or else you
can in addition keep them addicted to each game as well. In the first case they
play the Ninjafighter game for a week and then they finish it and move on to the
Karatefigher or SuperSnowboard games and so on. In this case the Application
heartbeat is achieved by introducing new games to keep users hooked, pumping
energy into the usage like a heartbeat. The second way means that when the user
has finished all 7 levels of Ninjafighter they get a secret code so they can
download Ninjafighter+ which contains an additional 3 levels. Optionally you can
just release new add-on packs every week/month or so. On the Internet gaming
scene there are some nice examples of how this Heartbeat is facilitated by the
developers but then maintained by the enthusiastic players. Take Counterstrike
as an example, which people are playing for hours every day several years after
its release. With the multiplayer opportunities and the online resources
available there is never an end to the addiction.
I wish you the same success in creating the mobile applications that will form
the success stories of the future!
About the author: Christoffer Andersson is Director of EMEA Business Development
at Ericsson. In this position he drives sales and delivery of products and
services in the area of applications and its underlying infrastructure.
Christoffer is also the author of the Amazon.com bestselling book 'GPRS and 3G
Wireless Applications - The Professional Developer’s Guide', published by John
Wiley & Sons. Christoffer can be reached at
christoffer@wirelessdevnet.com.
by-http://www.wirelessdevnet.com
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