Mobile Apps are Overrated... Except When They Aren't
This is probably not a hot take in technology circles, but it often surprises non-technical people when we say it: mobile apps are overrated.
In 2013 and 2014, I sat in several rooms (well it was actually just three rooms in one building) with several different startup mentors from a particular small city in the middle of the country. As I and my co-founders sought to navigate the world of entrepreneurship and technology as wide-eyed first timers, we heard one thing over and over again.
I remember one in particular which exemplifies the rest. We were there to talk about our ideas for building a better monetization ecosystem for online content creators playing video games on YouTube and Twitch. Rather than really listening to us, this particular mentor (his name is now lost to time in my head) reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Anything you build should be built for this first.” His point was essentially that people were spending more and more time on their phones, which meant that technology needed to go mobile forward.
To be fair, it’s not a bad concept (though completely unhelpful given our stage at the time). We do spend a lot of time on our phones, and we often find ourselves engaging with all sorts of technologies using that device. Mobile optimization is no longer optional, especially for landing pages and marketing sites.
That said, when most people think of mobile, they think of a square block on their home screen with a logo. One click gets them into the experience. When they are done, they jump out and move on to the next square block and logo. Here’s our perspective though: most businesses don’t need a mobile app.
But some do.
Whatever your business, you’ve probably had the thought at some point that you need an app. The truth is that you might, but it's actually more likely that having a mobile optimized website or portal is enough. That business I was talking about before never had a mobile app, and was able to gain over 100,000 users.
So before you plunge headlong into the turbulent waters of mobile development, consider the typical questions: who, where, when, what, and why.
1. Who are the users?
We all use mobile apps on a daily basis, but if you pay close attention, you may see that we are using these apps in particular elements of our lives. Mobile apps can be specifically useful if the primary users are consumers. Giving consumer customers a quick way into a system saves them time and a dedicated app draws their focus.
There are times when it makes sense for business customers to have a mobile app version of your product, but they are much rarer. Even rarer still are the instances in which an employee mobile app makes sense.
2. Where are they using this?
The Where is really the point that the rubber starts to meet the road. This is where the difference between consumers and businesses becomes very stark. Mobile apps are just that: mobile. They make it easy to navigate the screen on a phone and provide a dedicated experience for the technology.
So the question of where a user is when they spend time on your system matters. If the technology is most beneficial when someone is on the go, then a mobile app makes a lot of sense. Whether making an out and about experience more efficient, providing entertainment during a commute, or letting someone quickly check the status of something, mobile apps should enhance the experience of being active. This makes a lot of sense for a lot of consumer businesses.
If your customers are businesses, the best consideration is: are my customers out and about a lot? Will they need to check in or perform tasks while on the move? If the answer is yes, a mobile app may be the way to go.
3. When are they using this?
When is the partner of Where in terms of the important questions of mobile app versus mobile optimized. Will they check your system throughout the day? Is it something they will engage with for a long period of time, or quickly check and move on? Is this something they will do on a recurring basis, daily, weekly, monthly?
These kinds of questions speak to whether a mobile app is really necessary. An ecommerce brand whose customers are primarily coming from google searches or influencer promotions may not need a mobile app. The ability for users to click to a pleasing mobile optimized experience may be ideal because of the opportunity for a quick purchase and moving on.
An educational portal likely works better as a standalone app because it will be used for a longer period of time. Each time the user sits down to learn, they expect to be there for more than a few minutes and have a tailored experience throughout that time.
4. What are the users doing?
The What is all about the user’s experience with the technology and with the broader tasks they are performing on their mobile device. Is it important that the experience is contained and tailored? How will users get to the experience? What will they do when they are done? What kinds of tasks will they engage with during the experience?
If a user has to engage with a dashboard, mobile optimization is tough. This is why most banks and other financial institutions have dedicated apps. These allow the bank to tailor the experience to the kinds of tasks that a customer needs to do when checking their bank account.
On the other hand, appointment setting for a hair salon or car maintenance appointment is a more interesting proposition. Setting an appointment is a relatively simple and quick task. It can be done from a mobile browser easily. The only time when a mobile app may make sense is in the case of recurring appointments. If the user behavior is that they book once a week, or even once a month, a dedicated experience may be helpful.
Even if the user, where, and when make sense for an app, the What may be simple and straightforward enough that spending the budget on a mobile app just isn’t worth it.
5. Why are users going through the experience?
As always, the Why is what really matters in the end. Why are the users hiring your technology? Are they looking to solve complex problems? Are they looking for convenience and efficiency? Are they trying to learn or be entertained on their phones?
Each why contains its own set of challenges and solutions. Mobile apps can provide efficiency and tailored experience to enhance a user’s engagement with the product. On the other hand, having to download an app for a brand may hinder the user’s ability to do what they were trying to do.
Always think about the reason for the action before deciding on a method. You may find that the why only requires a simple task, or you may find that you simply cannot solve the why in the confines of a mobile browser.
In conclusion
Mobile apps are overrated, but not because they aren’t incredibly useful tools. They are overrated because they are just that: tools. Apps can drive great experiences for the user, but they can also be overly clunky and expensive for what you need. Don’t just assume that because your customers or employees are engaging with your products via mobile devices that an app is right for you. Break it down and really think it through.
If you need help with thinking it through, we have folks on staff who have seen it all. We’re happy to walk through your needs and make recommendations, even if that means it isn’t the right time to build.