If a developer is lucky enough to design an application that becomes very popular they can be looking at making over $1,000,000 within the first year of the applications launch. The application market is a huge one and competition is fierce, but those who strike it lucky can make a lot of money.
There are loads of different websites and pieces of software available for users to make their own iPhone applications:
iWebKit iWebKit is an iPhone web application and website creator. iWebKit was specially designed so that anyone can use it, it caters to people with any level of programming skill, even those with only a little knowledge of HTML. iWebKet is specially designed to make web applications only for the iPhone or iPad so the technology can not be expanded to other mobile platforms like Android or Nokia. iWebKit has a very small javascript file making the application run quicker than other mobile development software.
jQTouch
jQuery touch is a plug-in for mobile web development that allows the development of web applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. The advantages of this technology over any other is that its layout makes it really easy to use. It provides a basic set of widgets and animations to allow you to create a dynamic iPhone application. However when running the application there can be some performance issues that can make the screens jumpy and delayed.
Create With Context
- Most of the navigation of the iPhone was done through trial and error, many users, especially novices, had a hard time distinguishing what some of the symbolic buttons meant. Buttons which had their use written on them, such as the alarm button in the 'clock' application enabled users to quickly find what they were looking for rather than having to press multiple buttons to get to their desired choice.
- The easiest applications to use were those that had real world similarities so needed no instructions to explain how to use them, for example the air hockey game, it is so similar to how someone would play the game in real life that users instantly worked out how to use it on the iPhone.
- The research showed that many expected the iPhone applications to have a layout similar to the same applications on the computer, such as the address bar in safari being at the top of the page like it is on a generic internet browser. This made the application easier to use because the layout was familiar and limited the amount of time it took to learn how to use the application.
They concluded the research with 'Eight rules of thumb' that give advice on how to design a good application. We should definitely take these into account when designing our application to make it as user friendly as possible.
- Take advantage of learned behaviours. Users tend to be more successful in using an application when they had previous experience of how a similar program worked. They could transfer the skills already gained from the pervious experience to help them use the application, and familiarity with the program meant they felt more comfortable using it.
- Avoid interaction inconsistencies. Icons that look different but do the same thing leads to confusion with the user as they think that because it is a different icon it does something different. Keeping the user interface the same as previous iPhone applications helps to eliminate this problem.
- Provide clear conceptual links across widgets. If there is a group of icons that do similar things to the page then group them together, this way the users gets a quick idea to what a group of buttons do and it takes them less time to work out what to press to get the page to do what they want it to.
- Put space between action widgets. Make sure there is enough space between the buttons so that the user does not press one by accident.
- Plan for accidental over-swiping.
- Don't rely extensively on multi-touch. Some users may not like the multi-touch function on the iPhones so making the entire application use multi-touch would put the user off. Try and have multiple methods to achieve the same action.
- Provide visual feedback for taps. This helps the user see what they have pressed and ensures that the phone has responded to their touch.
- Provide interaction affordances.
GreyStripeGreystripe are one of the leading mobile advertising networks. Alongside the work they do they also do research into mobile phone technologies into the way people use their phones. In their 2009 Q1 research paper they looked at iPhone engagement metrics, how long people used applications for, whether the price or advertisement affected usage etc.
Greystripe found that the average time spent on an iPhone application was 9.6 minutes, with only 19.9 uses per download of the application meaning that the average user uses their application only 20 times regardless of whether they pay for it or download it for free. 58% of application downloads are on iPhones, showing that this is the more popular product compared to the iPod Touch.
http://www.greystripe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/GreystripeConsumerInsightsApril2009.pdf
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
I found a paper written by some students at the Massachusetts institute of technology which detailed some research they had done into the educational benefits of playing technological games. The entire paper does not directly link to our research but one section talks in detail about the success of gaming on mobile devices. The research documents the success of games like the Tamagotchi, popular because of its ability to be played for only minutes and seconds at a time. It is shown that a game that does not need to be played for a long duration is more popular because people can play it where ever they feel like it, when they're shopping, on the bus, waiting in a queue etc. They do not have to commit themselves to a game that lasts for a long time, they can simply pick up the game from where they left off at any time they wish. The game becomes popular because of its freedom of play.
"People can play these games for minutes at a time in the interstitial spaces of life – on the bus, waiting in line, and even while on the go."
From this research we can pull out the data about the length of the game play and apply it to our own application. We want to create a successful application therefore our application will have to be one that can be used where ever and whenever the user feels like it. Our concept embodies this in the way that the user can choose how they want to use the application, as a game or as the more functional use.
http://education.mit.edu/papers/MovingLearningGamesForward_EdArcade.pdf
Ten points to consider to make a successful app
1. Clear information.
Too many apps overload the screen with clutter. Most app users don't have a high commitment level due to the spontaneity of there download. If we overload the user they will feel like its a task rather than an experience and log off.
We will have to consider and remember the constraints of the small screen. one or two tasks per page maximum to allow for focused tasks and achievements.
feature aware, If we add surplus to requirement features that confuse or change the experiance then these "features" will deter the user.
sometimes more is less. If a complicated task is done with one click then the user can feel disjointed from the experance. sometimes actions and tasks need to be explained to the user. especially when dealing with user data they need to feel incontroll. Our service handles sensitive data about the user so we need to make sure they are involved.
Use white space effectively.
2. Keep it simple.
Our first experiences of software utilized complicated manuals and readme's to explain the software. We, as digital natives, pride ourselves on being able to pick up software and use it. However this ability is down to the user experience being natural and self explanatory. If our experience is over complicate or un-natural we will loose users. However if complicated sections would benefit from explaining then walkthoughs or pop out explaining bubbles can be used effectively.
3. Don't interrogate the user
having initial registration screens will scare and annoy the users. Therefore we have decided to utilize a well known database, twitter, therefore people will feel less disengaged or interrogated. for our ap p to work effectively we need login sections however using twitter will lessen the detrimental effect.
4. Use Mental Modes
Users relate to an experience with realistic, world based scenarios. If our app works against this then people will feel confused and disjointed. this isn't a major concern for us as we don't provide a function its more of an experience however the way data is passed backwards and forwards have to remain conversational.
5. Understand Conventions
We all aim to re-invent the wheel when it comes to design. However apple provide HIG's and there are other graphical design resources to check were not being stupid with our interface.
6. Less is More
Making a GUI is extremely difficult. Especially if we wanted to create a custom interface. Therefore we will have to keep it simple, too many apps out there, break conventions badly by trying to be too unique. Apple design there apps to have similar methods to complete tasks so the user feels at home when using a new application. we will have to strike a balance between following conventions and making it unique.
7. Professional
To make our app proffesional we will have to consider; contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity.
Being aware of these principles will allow a professionally aware app and therefore show the user that we safe with there data aswell as providing the correct service.
8. Mobile Context
Sounds obvious however we must remember our user will be utilizing the app in a mobile context while completing other tasks and moving though the space.
9. Don't Rush
It will be obvious if we add features last minuet because they will look rushed and misconceived. We'll have to make sure each element is thought though properly. if needed we could add extra features at a later date.
10. Test, Test, Test !
No comments:
Post a Comment